Four of a Kind
by Midnight-Obsidian
Summary: As Farraday’s ship and Serenity face off, help comes from an unexpected source. Co- Authored by the amazing Just Slummin. Remember, Reviews are the lifeblood that keeps the hearts of writers like us beating.
1. Opening Bluff

Four of a Kind

**Four of a Kind**

**Part I—Opening Bluff**

Author's Note: This story was co-authored by just-slummin. Takes place within the framework of her continuing Mal/River storyline, after the events of "Journey's End".

Disclaimer: Don't own 'em. Just playin' in Joss' sandbox.

Rating: PG

Summary: The Captain of the Hit or Miss has a meeting with Easy Mercury and later finds himself in a revealing situation.

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Marcus Hazzard moved easily through the crowded streets of Persephone, mindful of the fact that having a man as large as Bear Macaphee walking beside him tended to clear a path. Bear, long accustomed to being given a wide berth by most people, took no notice of the uneasy glances he received as they wound their way through the small streets.

"Looks right much better than it used to," Bear said, eyeing the street that led to Easy Mercury's office.

Marcus nodded. "Easy's been upgrading lately. Told me that it's easier to let some of his men patrol the neighborhood than to let the riffraff in to be cleaned up later. They keep the peace, and the local merchants don't mind giving a little percentage to Easy on the side. Works smooth enough, and everybody's happy."

"Wouldn't have figured Easy to be that invested in the neighborhood," Bear said.

"Profitable to him on both ends," Marcus said, stopping to look into a particularly interesting store window. "Merchants give him a cut, and tourists feel safe to walk on the street looking at the pretties. Quite enterprising, when you think about it."

Bear shifted restlessly as Marcus seemed to be meandering a bit. "You wouldn't be just stallin' for time, would you?" he asked.

Marcus frowned. "Can't a man take a minute to window shop now and again?"

"Not when you know we gotta get back to the ship to interview the last few folks applyin' for the doctor's position," Bear reminded him. "And you know sometimes these little visits with Easy last awhile."

"If the folks applying can't wait for me to get back, I'm fair certain we don't want 'em on the Hit or Miss," Marcus replied.

Bear sighed. "You've managed to turn down everyone who's applied so far. A few of them before they even set foot on the boat. What's the problem?"

"Problem is they're all….stuffy," Marcus replied. "Well, except for that one that was drunk during the interview. And I want somebody who'll fit in."

Bear snorted. "Good luck finding someone that will 'fit in' with the four of us."

"It could happen," Marcus said defensively, walking on toward Easy's office. "Just might be hard to find them, that's all."

"Well, it's fair obvious we need to find a doc quick," Bear continued.

"And why is that?" Marcus asked, looking sideways at his friend.

"Well, we never know when you're gonna get shot in the butt again," Bear pointed out evenly. "And I, for one, don't want to be the one fishing out the bullet."

"That only happened the one time," Marcus said. "Why does everybody keep bringing that up?"

"Maybe 'cause it was hilarious," Bear said, grinning widely as he opened the door of Easy's outer office to allow Marcus to enter.

"Glad I could provide the high quality of entertainment that you enjoy," Marcus said wryly as one of Easy's men came to greet them.

"Never a dull moment," Bear said just loudly enough for Marcus to hear.

Scowling at his mercenary, Marcus allowed Easy's man to lead them into the labyrinth of corridors that led to Easy's office. "Captain Hazzard," Easy said, turning from the window of his office to look at his guests. "Didn't know you were on Persephone."

"Just finished up a delivery and thought I'd come and pay you a visit," Marcus said, crossing the room to shake hands with the man.

Easy nodded distractedly. "Glad you did. Always a pleasure," he replied, though it was obvious that something was not quite right. "Won't you have a seat?" Easy said, motioning to a table in the corner of the room. "I was just about to have some lunch. Care to join me?"

"Temptin' as that…whatever it is looks, I think we'll just pass," Marcus said, pulling his chair up to the table as Easy sat down and poked at his food desultorily. "Wouldn't mind a drink to settle the dust though."

Easy nodded, motioning to one of his men to bring a bottle. Looking at the label, he smiled proudly. "Think you'll like this stuff. Aged to perfection. Some of the finest whiskey available in the Core."

Marcus nodded, taking the glass Easy proffered and sipping slowly. A pleasant fire slid down his throat and he thought briefly that the next time his travels took him to Osiris, he would have to see about securing a bottle of the fine, amber liquid for himself, assuming he could pay for it, or steal it.

Easy smiled as if he could see the wheels turning in Marcus' head. "Good stuff, huh?"

"Hits the spot," Marcus acknowledged. "So, setting that aside for now, I was wondering if you've got a job for us, bein' as how we're here and all."

Easy sighed, chewing his food thoughtfully before answering. "Don't really have anything in the works at the moment," he finally admitted. "Things have been a little….slow."

"Sorry to hear that," Marcus said, genuinely sorry considering the last job he'd finished barely gave him the coin to refuel the Hit or Miss. "Would have thought things were going well, with the way the street looks now."

Easy let out a deep breath. "Just a temporary slump. Nothing to worry about," he replied, though his tone was not reassuring.

Marcus glanced at Bear, who shrugged his shoulders almost imperceptibly. Leaning forward in his chair, he said, "Come on, Easy. It's fair obvious there's something wrong. What gives?"

Easy gazed at the young Captain for a moment as if trying to decide how much to divulge. Finally, he answered, his words coming out in a rush. "I'm trying to run a decent business here, right? Spending my own coin to clean up the streets, re-investing in the community. Not just living like a gorram parasite." He paused for a moment, obviously agitated. "Providing a service to the community, so to speak. And what do I get for it?"

"A percentage?" Bear said, just a tinge of sarcasm in his voice.

Both Easy and Marcus turned to look at the large man silently. "Just sayin' is all," Bear said.

"Okay, maybe I do take a small….token of their gratitude for the service," Easy admitted. "It's only fair, all things considered. And yet, though I do all this….." He stopped, waving his hands in the air with the nervous energy he had in abundance.

"Though you do all this, what?" Marcus prompted curiously.

"They don't even invite me to the gala," Easy finished, the disappointment in his voice obvious.

Marcus looked at in puzzlement. "What gala?" he asked.

"Only the most prestigious event of the year," Easy replied. "On board the Persephone Queen."

"The gambling ship?" Marcus asked in astonishment.

"The very same," Easy answered. "Three days of sumptuous dining, gambling to one's heart's content, mingling with the cream of Persephone society, all on that gorram boat. I was expecting to be on the short list, but I didn't even make it to the long list. It's a travesty is what it is."

"Well now, Easy," Marcus began. "It's not exactly like you're…."

Easy's glare stopped him from finishing the sentence. "I'm a businessman," he said firmly. "And I've earned a spot there, unlike some of those snot-nosed boys that have inherited their fortunes. And while they're up there floating on a cloud of wealth and privilege, I'll be down here cleaning up their gorram go se for 'em." He hissed in irritation at the thought.

Marcus took another sip of the fine whiskey. "Three days of gambling with Persephone's wealthiest, huh?" he said softly. Bear gave him a warning look, which he studiously ignored. "Just floating up there right above us. Could be interesting."

Easy gazed at him intently, caught by the glint in Marcus' eye. "Be a shame if something were to happen to relieve them of their coin prematurely," he suggested, warming to the idea.

"Would at that," Marcus said, grinning.

Easy leaned forward eagerly. "A sharp man might take advantage of such an opportunity, if he was cunning and of a mind to take a little risk."

""Spect so," Marcus replied. "Would probably need some folks to help 'im get the job done, if he wanted it done right, that is."

Easy jumped out of his chair, energetically pacing around the room. "Would have to find you a way in," he said, thinking aloud. "And set you up with coin enough to make it convincing." Whirling around in excitement, he looked at Marcus. "Can you come back tomorrow? There are some things I need to see to."

Marcus rose from the chair, glancing at Bear with a grin. "I expect we'll still be here tomorrow," he said. "Be glad to stop by around noon."

Easy nodded eagerly. "I'll see you then, Captain." Shaking his hand, he added, "And I'll be looking forward to it."

XXXXXXXXXX

"Just sounds like somethin' fool enough to get us all corpsified," Bear reiterated for the fifth time as he followed Marcus up the ramp of the Hit or Miss.

Being well and truly tired of listening to the normally taciturn Bear's objections to the potential job, Marcus was by this point in a less than pleasant temper. Finding Pierre in the galley, he instructed his pilot to handle the next job applicant, as it was his intention to take a long, hot shower and relax before beginning to plan the job in earnest.

Pierre nodded, looking at Bear questioningly. But Bear just shook his head and headed to his bunk, figuring he had said all he was going to on the subject already. Mildly curious, Pierre started to follow the mercenary, but he was interrupted from his journey by the arrival of the latest job applicant. "You must be Dr. Striker. If you'll just follow me," he said pleasantly, leading the doctor to the galley for the interview.

Once the doctor was seated, Pierre sat down and looked briefly at the resume provided. "This is quite impressive," he said, his eyes widening at the long list of letters after the doctor's name.

"Thank you, I…." The doctor's words were cut short by the arrival of Murdocke into the galley. Taking one look at the situation, Murdocke winked at Pierre, silently imploring the man to play along.

"I've come to take you to the Captain," he said, smiling like the Cheshire cat. "He's ready to see you now."

"Oh," the doctor said, slightly confused. Looking at Pierre, she said, "I thought you were the Captain."

"No," Pierre said smoothly, thinking that Murdocke was indeed an evil man. "I am the pilot. Captain Hazzard was unable to meet with you, so I was just filling in temporarily."

"But you can certainly see him now," Murdocke said, his eyes twinkling merrily at his own private joke.

"Good," she said, rising gracefully from her chair to follow the smirking man. As they left the galley, Pierre wondered briefly what kind of punishment Marcus was likely to extract from him for his role in the whole affair. Thinking that the Captain's reaction would more than likely be worth whatever the repercussions might be, Pierre smiled slightly beneath his mask.

XXXXXXXXXX

Murdocke turned to look at the doctor with a wide grin. "He's right in there," he said, pointing to a door at the end of the corridor.

"Thank you," Dr. Striker said, wondering fleetingly why the man looked so positively gleeful. Pushing the heavy door open with a bit of effort, she stepped into the steamy room.

"The gorram ship had better be on fire if you're coming in here now," Marcus growled, annoyed that anyone would interrupt his shower.

Elizabeth Striker stood motionless for a moment, taking in the sight of the man's long, lean body. His back was turned to her, and she could see the smooth delineation of the muscles of his back and shoulders and the satisfying curve of his buttocks leading down to long, perfectly defined legs. Fine beads of water glistened on his skin, and she found herself licking her lips in appreciation.

"And close the gorram door. You're letting out the steam," he bellowed.

She jumped at the tone of his voice, coming back to reality with a sudden jolt. "Of course," she said, closing the door quickly. "I'm sorry."

Hearing the soft, feminine voice answer, Marcus jumped and scrambled for the nearest towel to cover himself. Losing his balance on the slippery floor, he fell hard, jarring every bone in his body and managing to strike the side of his head against the shower fixture on the way down. Sprawling into an untidy heap on the floor, he forgot for a moment that there was a woman in the room and lay holding his head and muttering darkly.

"Here, let me see that," Dr. Striker said, kneeling beside him on the rapidly cooling shower floor.

"Rather you didn't," Marcus murmured, getting his first real look at the woman.

"For goodness sake," she said, prying his hand away from the cut on his temple. "I'm a doctor. Let me look at it."

Marcus submitted to her examination reluctantly, surreptitiously pulling the towel around to cover himself as she prodded gently at the wound.

"Doesn't look too bad," she said finally, sitting back on her heels. "Just needs a weave and a little antibiotic cream. Can you stand?"

"Um, yeah, if you'll turn around," Marcus said, a blush rising on his cheeks.

"Oh, of course," the woman said, trying to ignore the brief feeling of disappointment as she turned away from the man. "I wouldn't have just barged in like that if I had known this was a communal shower. It's just that your man…."

"Let me guess," Marcus said, toweling off quickly. "Short guy named Murdocke?"

"He didn't introduce himself, but he didn't seem all that short to me," she replied, looking studiously at the wall and trying hard not to imagine what the man behind her was doing.

"Guess not," Marcus said, observing her short stature and figuring that she could be no more than about five feet tall. Catching himself before he made a further comment about her height, he cleared his throat and walked around to face her. Holding out his hand, he said, "We weren't properly introduced. My name is Marcus Hazzard, and though you might not guess it from our first encounter, I'm the Captain of the Hit or Miss."

The woman smiled up at him, her blue eyes shining warmly. "And I'm Elizabeth Striker. It's a pleasure to meet you, Captain."

Feeling a small trickle of blood make its way down his forehead, Marcus smiled wryly. "Think we could make this a working interview? Seems I'm in need of a doctor."

"Absolutely," she said. "Just lead the way to your infirmary, and we can get you fixed up in no time."

Walking toward the infirmary, Marcus thought that he very much liked the sound of that.

XXXXXXXXXX

To be continued


	2. Big Blind

Four of a Kind

**Four of a Kind**

**Part II—Big Blind**

Authors: Midnight Obsidian and justslummin

Disclaimer: Don't own 'em. Just playin' in Joss' sandbox.

Rating: PG

Summary: Dr. Striker tends to Marcus' injury, and Murdocke talks to an old friend. Please feel free to offer your reviews...they are the life blood that keeps our hearts pumping

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Marcus walked along the corridor of the Hit or Miss, uncomfortably aware of his state of undress as he felt the eyes of the woman doctor on his back. Cursing his engineer silently, he stepped to the door of the newly refurbished infirmary. Motioning Dr. Striker inside, he tried to figure how to get up on the exam table with just a towel clutched tightly around his midsection.

He needn't have worried, he realized with chagrin. Dr. Striker was busy looking around the infirmary eagerly. Impressed by what she saw, she turned back to Marcus, who had managed to slip up onto the table when her back was turned and was busily trying to appear perfectly at ease in his own skin.

"Weaves and antiseptics are in the second cabinet to the left," he said.

Dr. Striker reached into the cabinet and withdrew the needed supplies quickly. "I have to say that it looks as if your infirmary is maintained very well," she said. "Why was it that your previous doctor is no longer with you?"

"Didn't have any other doctor," Marcus replied. "I've been doing most of the doctoring as gets done on the Hit or Miss, though I have to admit that it's Pierre who keeps the infirmary stocked as it should be."

"The one with the mask?" she asked, gingerly dabbing at the gash on Marcus' forehead.

"Um hmm," he answered, acutely aware of just how closely she was standing to him.

Dr. Striker, momentarily unaware of his train of thought, worked efficiently at the wound. "Doesn't look like it will require stitches," she murmured. "And I'm very sorry to have caused the accident in the first place."

"Think I'll lay the blame for that on my engineer," Marcus said, wincing slightly as she pushed the edges of the gash together to apply the weave properly. "Man gets a little too…comfortable when I don't threaten him with the airlock regularly."

Elizabeth smiled. "A problem which I assume will be remedied shortly," she said, the barest hint of humor in her voice.

"Oh yeah," Marcus replied, his own smile making the doctor suddenly aware again of her earlier attraction to him.

She cleared her throat nervously and stepped back, putting a safe distance between them. Aware of the faint blush rising to her cheeks, she tried to concentrate on the matter at hand. "So, about the job…"

Marcus ran his finger gingerly along the ridge of the weave. "Yes, about that," he began. "I'm fair certain you won't be interested in taking the position, now that you've seen…I mean, now that you've met…" He stopped for a second, swallowing nervously. "I mean, now that you know there are no women on the boat."

Elizabeth folded her arms across her chest. "It makes you uncomfortable that I'm female, Captain Hazzard? Because I can assure you that my gender has very little to do with my ability to practice medicine."

"No, I'm sure it doesn't," Marcus stammered, thinking that he was going about this interview in a very un-Captain-like way. "I didn't mean to imply that at all. You seem a fine doctor, if the way you just handled my little emergency is any indication."

"I would at least appreciate it if you would look at my resume," Dr. Striker continued. "I believe that you would find that I am quite qualified to handle any number of situations that might arise on a boat such as this."

"Well now, that's just it," Marcus said. "You just don't seem to be the type to know anything about a boat like mine. It's just me and my men, and we sometimes get into situations that…"

Elizabeth raised a quizzical eyebrow. "Situations that are less than…legal, perhaps?" she said, a slight smile curving her lips.

Marcus scowled. "I know it's not what you're accustomed to, being a fancy Core doctor and such, but there are plenty of worlds where what's legal and what's best are two very different things."

"You might be surprised by what I'm accustomed to," she replied softly. "And as for being a 'fancy Core doctor', I'm afraid you are operating under a false assumption. I am Core-trained, and I have been practicing on Persephone, but my sympathies tend to be a bit more….liberal than the norm."

Curious now to know exactly what she meant, Marcus leaned forward, heedless of the towel across his lap. "So tell me, Doctor, what is a Core-trained doctor doing applying for a position with a ship like this? What are you running from?"

Elizabeth looked at him calmly. "Perhaps I'm not running from anything as much as running toward something, Captain. For the past three years, I've been working with Persephone's richest and most obnoxiously self-important citizens. And working under the supervision of one of the most insufferable men I've ever encountered, I might add. So, I'm most anxious for a change. I can think of nothing I need more than to work with people who are just ordinary human beings for a change."

"So, I take it if I wave your former supervisor for a reference, he won't be very obliging?" Marcus asked.

Dr. Striker grimaced. "Let's just say that he would be less than pleased to recommend me. We had a rather nasty difference of opinion."

"About what?" Marcus asked, his eyes pinning her to the wall.

The doctor took a long, deep breath. "About exactly where it was and was not appropriate to put his hands when we were working together."

Marcus laughed, a deep, rich laugh that reverberated in the room. "And the thought of shipping out with a crew of four strange men doesn't bother you after that?"

"That depends," Elizabeth replied with a trace of humor. "Are you planning to let any of your crew harass me?"

"No more than they harass me…or each other, for that matter," Marcus replied, grinning.

"Then I don't see the outstanding issue," Elizabeth replied. "And if I meet with your approval after you've looked at the resume, I would be willing to start immediately."

"Think you already did," Marcus said, touching the weave on his forehead.

"So, we have a deal?" Elizabeth asked.

Marcus' lips twitched slightly. "Guess we need to hammer out the details, but I'd say we're well on our way." He slid off the exam table, clutching his towel around his waist. "And as for the details, I think I'd prefer to talk about them when I've got some clothes on. So, if you'll just wait in the galley for a few minutes…"

"Of course," Elizabeth said, stepping to the door. Opening it quickly, she caught Murdocke lurking at the entrance, obviously eavesdropping on their conversation. Turning to Marcus, she smiled sweetly. "I believe your engineer wishes to have a word," she said.

Murdocke, busily trying to make his escape, turned to glare at her. She returned his stare with a wide grin. "Captain'll see you now," she said, slipping past him in the corridor and walking toward the galley with a spring in her step.

Murdocke turned to face his Captain. "Look, Captain, I….."

"Not now," Marcus said, holding up his hand. "My quarters. Fifteen minutes. No discussion."

Murdocke's mouth snapped shut as Marcus pushed past him into the corridor.

XXXXXXXXXX

Pierre gazed down into the loading tank at the unhappy form of the engineer. "May as well stop grousing about it," he said blandly.

"I'd like to see whether you could stop grousing if you were hip-deep in this go se," Murdocke replied, grimacing as he sloshed around in the sludge.

"I'm none too happy to have to oversee you doing it," Pierre replied. "But it's the price I have to pay for my minimal involvement in today's little…adventure."

"That man has no sense of humor," Murdocke growled as he scraped disgusting things from the filter unit. "Needs to just lighten up. Maybe if he could just get…" His words were cut off as he suddenly lost his footing, flailing wildly to catch himself and failing miserably.

Pierre snorted, the sight more than he could have even hoped for. "Oh, I believe the Captain has a wonderful sense of humor," he replied, slipping the small recorder he'd been using into his pocket with a satisfied pat. Watching Murdocke pull himself up, slimy residue dripping down his body, Pierre smiled. "Think I'd be a little more careful about watching my step next time, if I were you."

"Thanks for the tip," Murdocke retorted, fairly fuming with irritation.

XXXXXXXXXX

Having spent the better part of the day cleaning the tank and then himself, Murdocke settled down at his Cortex link, eagerly rubbing his hands in anticipation. He'd seen Serenity at the docks, and knew that Kaylee would be ripe for a good old-fashioned conversation about catalyzers and compression coils and all the other fascinating things there were to discuss among engineers. And, truth be told, after the day he'd had, he was looking forward to seeing Kaylee's smiling face on the screen.

Typing in the codes, he waited impatiently for someone on Serenity to answer. Zoe's face coalesced on the screen and Murdocke waited again as she went to fetch Kaylee. After what seemed an eternity, Kaylee appeared.

"Oh, hey," she said in happy surprise. "How's it goin'?"

"Everything's good," Murdocke said, grinning despite himself. "Saw that Serenity was on the docks, and thought you might be up for a little palaver. I've been wanting to let you know that Marcus sprang for the new Signus Series 500 Atmospheric Guidance Module and it's working like a charm."

Kaylee squealed with delight. "How'd you convince 'im? Capt'n wouldn't spring for one of those in a millions years."

Murdocke told her the tale, embellishing it as he went. She listened, always eager to hear about the exploits of her friend. Catching up on all the gossip, she shrieked as Murdocke confessed his prank earlier in the day. "You didn't!" she said, her eyes wide with mirth.

"You shoulda' seen it," Murdocke said, warming to the tale. "Marcus ended up on the floor in a heap, big gash on his head…"

Kaylee frowned, shaking her head from side to side. "You know he's like as not to throw you out the airlock if you keep doin' stuff like that. You're workin' yourself into an early grave bein' just plain evil."

"Might be, but it was so worth it," Murdocke said.

"Was it now?" Marcus said softly, coming up behind his engineer quietly.

Murdocke's grin faded as he realized he'd been caught out once again. Marcus leaned over his shoulder to smile pleasantly at Kaylee, though his hand gripped Murdocke's shoulder with a less than gentle touch. "Miss Kaylee, it's a pleasure to see you again."

"You too, Capt'n Hazzard," Kaylee said brightly, hoping that he would have mercy on his prank-prone engineer.

"I'd be obliged to you if you'd pass a word on to Captain Reynolds," Marcus said. "Since we're all on Persephone, I thought perhaps you all might like to come for a little visit. I've got some business I'd like to discuss with Mal, and I thought it'd be nice to see everyone again."

Kaylee nodded enthusiastically. "That'd be real nice," she said. Unable to quell her own mischievous streak, she added, "And I'll be looking forward to meeting the new doc. Heard tell you had an interesting interview."

Marcus scowled, vowing silently to take slow, sweet revenge on Murdocke. "Yeah, I'm sure she'll be eager to meet all of you as well. Could be she and Dr. Tam can compare notes or some such."

"'Magine so," Kaylee replied, observing the satisfying red flush of spreading across Marcus' cheeks. "I'll speak to the Capt'n now."

"Thanks, Miss Kaylee. See you in a bit," Marcus said, reaching down to cut the transmission. Turning to Murdocke, he said, "You do know we're nowhere close to done, right?"

Murdocke swallowed thickly. "'Spect not," he said, his throat uncomfortably dry.

Marcus nodded, whistling as he walked away leaving Murdocke to stare after him. Could be that he'd finally pushed the man a bit too far, he thought with a worried frown. Then, regaining his normal attitude, he grinned, thinking it had still been worth it, all things considered.

XXXXXXXXXX

To be continued


	3. Small Blind

Four of a Kind

**Four of a Kind**

**Part III—Small Blind**

Authors: Midnight Obsidian and justslummin

Disclaimer: Don't own 'em. Just playin' in Joss' sandbox.

Rating: PG

Summary: Serenity's crew reunites with the crew of the Hit or Miss, and Mal and Marcus discuss business.

XXXXXXXXXX

"All right," Mal said, jiggling the fussy Hannah on his hip as he surveyed the general state of his crew. Thinking that they all looked surprisingly like children about to go on a play date, he smiled. "Everybody got what they need? I got no notion to be traipsin' back over here to pick up somebody's toy once we're over there. Dong ma?"

Adam looked at his father solemnly, clutching his stuffed dinosaur to his chest. "I've got mine, Daddy," he said.

Mal grinned. "I can see that, little one. You sure you want to take that one? He's a mite…disreputable-looking to me."

Adam frowned. "He's the bestest one I got. And 'sides, Captain Marcus has seen him before anyway. They're old friends."

"Is that a fact?" Mal asked. When Adam nodded enthusiastically, Mal turned to the rest of the crew. "So, Adam's got his stuff. What about everybody else?"

"For goodness sake, Mal, you'd think we were going to the ends of the 'verse instead of to the other end of the docks. If we've forgotten something, we can always come back and get it," Inara said.

"I'll keep it in mind that you're the one volunteering to walk all the way back if that happens," Mal said, his eyes twinkling with merriment. Turning to Zoe, he said, "You and Jim lead the way, and River and I'll lock up the boat."

Zoe nodded, stepping out with Jim into the hubbub of the Eavesdowne docks with everyone else trailing behind. Simon and Kaylee came next, walking slowly with Daniel between them taking faltering steps.

Simon smiled, proud beyond belief of his son. "So, you say there's a new doctor on board the Hit or Miss?"

"Yep," Kaylee said, catching Daniel before he hit the dirt. "A lady doctor too. Can't hardly imagine how she'll manage what with everybody else on board being a man and all."

"Could be just the kind of setup she wants," Jayne said, his grim teetering on the edge of leering before Inara poked him with an elbow. "What? I'm just sayin'…"

"Well, don't," Inara said, though her smile revealed that she was not genuinely perturbed. "I'm sure she'll be a very interesting woman."

"I would imagine so," Simon said.

Jayne grinned at him. "Best be watchin' how interested you get in the lady doctor, Simon."

Kaylee interrupted him before things got out of hand. "I got no problem with Simon bein' interested in the new doc, even if she is a woman. I know he's all mine." Simon's ears turned bright red and she added mischievously, "Besides, I also know where all the heavy tools are if he was to get too interested."

Simon sighed, used by now to the teasing. Jayne grinned. "Ain't much fun to be threatened by the one has the advantage over you, is it? Reminds me of a little talk you had with me one time on the exam table."

"I'd say that situation was vastly different from this one," Simon said archly.

"Mebbe so," Jayne agreed. "On accounta' I'm thinkin' Kaylee's a lot more scary than you were."

"You're probably right," Simon conceded, giving his wife a weak smile.

"Damn straight," Kaylee said happily.

XXXXXXXXXX

Bear watched Murdocke skeptically as the smaller man set up the grill. "Using too much of that," he observed as Murdocke squirted another shot of something highly flammable into the smoldering coals.

"You just mind your knitting, big guy," Murdocke replied, pleased with the resulting flame. "I know a little something about starting a barbeque."

Bear snorted, poking his own coals carefully. "Know how to start a conflagration, more like," he said. "Just look at how these coals are burning all nice and even-like."

Murdocke glanced over at Bear's grill, vaguely annoyed to see that the large man was right. "Well, mine'll be just fine in a minute or two," he said. "By the time Marcus gets done showing the doc her quarters, we'll be good to go."

"Maybe by that time, Pierre'll have found something better to put on the grills," Bear said, looking at the meat piled into a plate between them.

"Here's to hoping," Murdocke replied, taking a small swig of his drink.

XXXXXXXXXX

"No, I'll be fine right here," Elizabeth said. "I see no need to keep the other section of the ship warm just for me. I have no objection to being on the same corridor with the rest of the crew."

"You sure?" Marcus asked. "Because I figured you might like your privacy."

Elizabeth looked at him with amusement. "This door has a lock. I think it'll be private enough."

"Well, all right then. If that's what you want," Marcus said, shrugging.

"There is one thing," Elizabeth said, trying unsuccessfully to hide her grin. "I think I might like to have a private shower. Seems to me the communal one sees a little too much traffic."

Marcus cleared his throat, feeling the flush rise in his cheeks. "Very funny," he said. "But not such a bad idea, all things considered. There's one at the end of the hall in what used to be the master suite."

"Thank you," Elizabeth said. After a moment, she added, "May I ask you a question, Captain?"

"You can ask," Marcus said.

"Why don't you use the master suite?" she asked. "Being the Captain, I would have expected you to choose the larger one."

Marcus shrugged. "Got no need of a large cabin. Just as happy bedding down in one the size of everybody else's."

Elizabeth nodded, finding the answer very much to her liking. "Makes sense," she said, walking beside him down the corridor.

"S'pose we'd best be getting outside to greet the crew of Serenity. They're good people. You're gonna like 'em," Marcus said, heading for the door.

Elizabeth followed, watching with interest as a strange assortment of people came walking up to the ship. It was readily apparent that her new Captain was quite pleased to see the Captain of Serenity again as the two men met, their greeting a strange mix of hand shakes and half completed hugs.

"Good to see you," Marcus said, grinning widely at Mal.

"Good to be seen," Mal replied. Sniffing the air, he added, "Smells like something's gonna be a real treat."

Marcus nodded enthusiastically, steering Mal toward the grills. Both men stopped in their tracks as Elizabeth called out loudly, "Squeaky!"

"Elizabeth," Simon said in shock. "When I heard there was a new doctor with the crew, it never occurred to me that…"

"Wait just a minute, doc," Jayne said, coming up behind them. Turning to Elizabeth, he said, "Did you just call Simon "Squeaky"?"

Elizabeth tried to look apologetic, but failed utterly. "I did," she replied.

"Mind tellin' us how you got that nickname?" Jayne asked, eager to needle Simon just a little more.

"Well I…" Simon began, turning an alarming shade of pink.

"And how do you two know each other?" Jayne pressed.

Elizabeth answered. "We went to MedAcad together. And back then, Simon was just so…proper all the time, so prim….that one of the other students said he was 'squeaky clean'. I suppose the name stuck."

"As irritating, inane names are wont to do," Simon said, glaring at Jayne, Mal and Jim, who all stood rooted to the ground looking just about ready to burst into fits of laughter.

"I'm sorry, Simon," Elizabeth said, patting his arm. "I didn't mean to just blurt it out like that. I was just surprised to see you."

"It's all right, Elizabeth," he said, smiling warmly. "And as for my merry crewmates, perhaps a little reminder is in order. As the resident medic on Serenity, I am in charge of all the sharp, pointy objects in the infirmary, which objects can and will be used in a manner inconsistent with their original purpose if anyone…and I mean anyone…uses that nickname in referring to me. Dong ma?"

"Oh, he don't mean it," Kaylee said, squeezing Simon's arm sweetly. "He ain't nothin' but a big ole squeaky teddy bear."

No longer able to contain it, the rest of the crew burst into riotous laughter as Simon sighed, thinking that some days it just didn't pay to meet up with old friends.

XXXXXXXXXX

Mal stretched out his long legs in the chair beside Marcus. "That was a mighty fine meal, my friend," he said, satisfyingly full.

"Glad you liked it," Marcus replied. "I gotta admit Bear knows his way around a barbecue grill."

"Surely seems to," Mal agreed. The two men sat in companionable silence for a moment, looking out at their crews, who were all milling about in the lazy way of folks who had eaten a good meal with good people.

Marcus sighed contentedly. "Those little ones of yours are sure growing fast."

Mal nodded. "Can't keep 'em in clothes that fit. And they're eating me out of house and home."

"Work been good?" Marcus asked casually.

"'Bout like usual," Mal replied.

"Think you might be interested in another joint venture?" Marcus asked.

"What you got in mind?"

Marcus turned his full attention to Mal. "Easy might have another job for us. I'm figuring I'm gonna need a few more hands than usual to get it done right."

"What's the job?" Mal asked.

"Got a meeting with Easy tomorrow at noon to discuss it," Marcus replied. "But if he says what I think he will, the take would be ripe. Enough for both crews to walk away winners, so to speak." He paused for a moment. "'Course, like normal, we're most like to get corpsified before the job's done, at least according to Bear."

"That a fact?" Mal asked mildly, looking out at the two crews milling about.

"That's why I figured I'd ask you," Marcus said. "You seem to have a way of not getting corpsified when by all rights you should be. Useful habit to have, I'm thinking."

Another long silence fell, punctuated only by the sound of the others chatting amongst themselves and the children running around in the dust.

"So," Marcus said, drawing out the word into three syllables. "You in? At least for the meeting with Easy?"

Mal looked at him, a hellbent grin curving his lips. "Yep," he said. "Reckon so."

Marcus nodded, a mirroring grin on his face.

XXXXXXXXXX

To be continued


	4. Opening Bets

Four of a Kind

**Four of a Kind**

**Part IV—Opening Bets**

Authors: Midnight Obsidian and justslummin

Disclaimer: Don't own 'em. Just playin' in Joss' sandbox.

Rating: PG

Summary: While most of the men play a game of Tall Card, Simon and Elizabeth have a long talk.

XXXXXXXXXX

"You plannin' to bet any time today?" Jim asked, drumming his fingers on the table impatiently.

Jayne scowled at him. "Hold your horses. Just got distracted for a minute there." Tilting his head toward Mal and Marcus, who were busily engaged in strategic discussions, he said, "Look at 'em. Grinning like the cats that ate the canary. Don't know what it is they're plannin', but I'm pretty durn sure it's gonna end up in bloodshed. Always does."

Pierre glanced at the two Captains and laughed lightly. "What are you worried about, Jayne? Way I remember it, it's usually Marcus and Mal that get shot."

Jayne threw a slip of paper into the center of the table. "Ain't worried. Just sayin', is all. Gets kinda' monotonous after awhile, what with the shootin' and the sewin' back up and such."

Jim grinned widely. "Jayne, I do believe you've been taking lessons from Inara. 'Monotonous' is a four-syllable word!"

"Just 'cause you're in Zoe's bed now don't mean I can't take you out any time I want to," Jayne said evenly.

"Which would likely lead to more shooting and sewing," Jim said, chuckling. "This time, on you."

Murdocke joined in, sliding a small stack of papers to the center of the table. "We gonna talk, or play?"

Pierre shook his head in mock disappointment. "You see," he said, looking at Jayne and Jim with a mischievous twinkle in his eye. "Murdocke here can't do both at the same time." When Murdocke snorted, he continued, "Which is surprising, considering all the practice at talking he has."

The table erupted in laughter as Murdocke scowled at Pierre. "Well anyway," he said, "Seems to me we could make this job, whatever it is, a little more entertaining. How 'bout we include both Captains in our little "Gun Shot" pool. My money's on Marcus in the shoulder."

"I got Mal in the leg," Jayne said quickly.

"Hey, that's what I was going to say," Jim said.

"Wanna open it up to the ladies?" Pierre asked.

"I'm sure Zoe would make a bet," Jim said. "Though I'd imagine she would have chosen the leg as well."

"Plenty of other body parts to go around," Murdocke said, rummaging around for a piece of scrap paper to record everyone's bet. "And to make it interesting, how about a double or nothing clause. Pick the places they'll both get hit and win really big."

"Sounds like a plan," Jayne said, grinning.

Just at that moment, the two Captains looked over at the table. "What do you think they're planning over there?" Marcus asked softly.

"'Spect we'd just as soon not know," Mal replied blandly.

"You're probably right," Marcus agreed.

XXXXXXXXXX

"So, how are you liking it so far?" Simon asked, leaning against the edge of the exam table with one hip.

"Can't really say just yet," Elizabeth replied. "I mean, we haven't even broken atmo yet. But I'm sure it will be…an adventure."

"If by 'adventure', you mean trouble, I tend to agree," Simon said, smiling slightly.

Elizabeth looked at him intently. "You're different," she said after a moment.

"Life in the Black tends to do that," Simon replied. "As well as being a husband and a father now."

Elizabeth smiled. "Kaylee seems very nice," she said. "Nothing like the kind of woman I pictured you with. And Daniel is just adorable."

Warmed by her words, Simon nodded. "He is, isn't he? I can't believe he's already learning to walk. Especially considering how he started out."

"What do you mean?" Elizabeth asked.

Simon told her the story of Daniel's birth and the subsequent problems with his health. She listened sympathetically, her mind reeling with the emotional trauma her friend must have gone through. When Simon finished, she laid her hand on his arm. "It's a provident thing that you are such a skilled doctor," she said softly. "He couldn't have been in better hands."

"Maybe yours," Simon said, shaking off the sentiment. "Seems I recall you were also at the top of the class."

Elizabeth sighed. "Perhaps, but I haven't done much in the way of real doctoring for some time. Working here on Persephone, my patients have generally fallen into the category of the idle rich. No real emergencies for a long time. Just treating hangnails and slight sprains."

"Don't worry," Simon said. "It'll come back to you. And if you stay with Captain Hazzard's crew, I'm certain you'll have your share of serious injuries to tend to in short order."

"You think I'm making a mistake?" she asked, the barest hint of uncertainty in her voice.

"No," Simon hastened to reassure her. "I don't. Captain Hazzard seems a good man. And they're in need of a good doctor." He paused for a moment. "If you don't mind my asking, why are you here? I mean, really."

Elizabeth sighed. "It's a long story, Simon. I could ask you the same, but I think I've already figured out at least a partial answer from the Miranda Wave and the subsequent revelations. You got River out, didn't you? That's why you left everything you'd worked so hard for behind."

Simon nodded. "Couldn't let her stay in that place. Couldn't let her be tortured like that when I could do anything to stop it."

"And Captain Reynolds took you in," Elizabeth said.

"Not intentionally, at least not at first," Simon said. "But we were lucky to find him. Serenity's been a good home to us for a long time now."

Elizabeth smiled. "I'm glad for you, Simon. Glad you've found a place."

Simon looked at her pointedly. "So, give. Why are you here?"

Elizabeth hopped up onto the exam table, her legs dangling like a child's as she told Simon her story. He listened quietly, nodding his head occasionally, but for the most part keeping his thoughts to himself. When she finished, she looked up at him with a weak smile. "So that's the whole sordid tale," she said, feeling oddly relieved to have shared it with someone else.

Simon smiled tenderly. "Then I think you've made the right choice, coming here. The Hit or Miss is a good ship. I hope you can find a home here as good as the one River and I have found on Serenity."

"Thanks," Elizabeth said, slipping back down off the table and straightening her shoulders. Putting her hands on her hips, she said, "Now, when were you planning on telling me about that slight tremor you've developed?"

Simon looked at her sheepishly. "Wasn't planning to," he answered. "It's not something I'm very proud of."

"Is it neurological?" she asked, slipping completely into doctor mode.

"Strictly speaking, no," Simon said. "It's a residual effect of drug addiction. Should lessen over time."

Elizabeth contained her shock at his answer. "I see," she said. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"I'm good," Simon said, smiling through the embarrassment. "The crew's been really helpful, and I went to a treatment facility for awhile. It's just a lengthy process, as I'm sure you're aware."

Elizabeth nodded. "Yes, I am. But I'm sure you can handle it. You've always been one of the most determined men I know."

Simon chuckled, the tension suddenly broken. "You mean stubborn."

"Well, I wasn't going to say it like that, but if you insist," Elizabeth said lightly.

Simon smiled. "That's what Kaylee says anyway. Speaking of which, I suppose we should be getting back to the others. There's no telling what they may have gotten themselves into while we've been gone."

Elizabeth took his arm and walked with him through the corridors. "Yes, a doctor's work is never done, I suppose," she said, sighing dramatically.

"You have no idea," Simon murmured, smiling slightly. "But I imagine you're going to find out soon enough."

XXXXXXXXXX

Adam and Anya sat in the common area of the Hit or Miss, watching the adults engaged in their various enterprises and talking about everything and nothing.

"You think your Daddy and Captain Marcus are planning a new job together?" Anya asked.

Adam nodded. "Only Daddy thinks it's prob'ly gonna be a tricky one," he said, squinting his eyes at the thought.

"Isn't it always?" Anya asked, ruffling Adam's hair lightly.

"Guess you're right," Adam replied, grinning. "So you think we'll be on this boat, or back home this time?"

"Don't know," Anya replied, looking over at Pierre, who caught her eye and gave her a wink. She blushed furiously, turning back to Adam. "Wherever we end up, I'm glad we'll all be together again."

"Me too," Adam said, wiggling on the floor. "I like bein' with 'em. Nice to have some new folk now and again. And there'll be Bear to play with."

Anya grinned, her mind already whirring with the possibilities.

XXXXXXXXXX

"So what do you think the job is?" River asked later that night, lying beside her ai ren in bed.

"Don't rightly know," Mal answered. "But Marcus seems to think it'll be a good take. 'Course, that bein' the case, I conjure there'll be complications." He paused for a beat. "Least it ain't a job of Badger's. Don't think Easy'd set Marcus nor me up intentional."

River's hair tickled his chest and side as she nodded her agreement. "Wants to please you."

"Who?" Mal asked, stroking the silken skin of her back lazily. "Marcus?"

"Easy," she replied. "Wants it to be known that Malcolm Reynolds works for him occasionally. Thinks it gives him…credibility."

Mal laughed, the sound rich in the small bunk. "Kinda' graspin' at straws then, ain't he?"

River's lips curved into a smile. "You're a legend in certain circles."

"Yeah, well, those are mighty skinny circles," Mal replied, grinning.

River raised up on one elbow, looking at him with shining eyes. "I might be in one of those circles," she said softly.

"Don't want to be a legend, River," Mal said fondly, touching her cheek lightly. "Happy enough to be at your side. Can't think of another thing I want, comes right down to it."

River lay back down under the crook of his arm. "Good to know," she said contentedly.

XXXXXXXXXX

To be continued


	5. King of Hearts, Ace of Spades

Four of a Kind

**Four of a Kind**

**Part V—King of Hearts, Ace of Spades**

Authors: Midnight Obsidian and justslummin

Disclaimer: Don't own 'em. Just playin' in Joss' sandbox.

Rating: PG

Summary: Mal and Marcus meet with Easy, and discuss the preliminary plans back on the Hit or Miss.

XXXXXXXXXX

Easy welcomed Marcus and Mal into his office eagerly. "Captain Reynolds," he said, pumping Mal's hand. "Always a pleasure. I had heard you were on the docks. Glad our young friend here decided to bring you along."

Mal smiled. "Thought you might need an extra hand or two. Marcus seems to think you have a job that might require a little….finesse."

"More than a little, I think it's safe to say," Easy said, gesturing to the two Captains to take a seat. Finagling a way onto the Persephone Queen was a job in itself. But getting back off the ship will probably be a little tricky."

"You don't say," Marcus said, punctuating Easy's gross understatement with a dry tone.

"Not impossible, mind you," Easy assured them hastily. "After all, you know I wouldn't send you off to do something that could get you killed."

"Instituted a new policy, have you?" Mal asked, letting the humor show through.

"Now, Captain Reynolds," Easy said. "Be reasonable. I have never intentionally put you in any more danger than you can manage. You're still walking and talking, aren't you?"

"Last I checked," Mal replied blandly.

"Tsk, such paranoia," Easy replied. "Difficult to watch, in a man such as yourself."

Mal chuckled. "Just because I'm paranoid doesn't mean they ain't out to get me," he grinned. "Paranoia keeps me alive."

"I see your point," Easy said. "However, hopefully this little job will have rather less gunplay than normal. None, if things go well, in point of fact."

"We're listening," Marcus said, leaning forward in his chair.

Easy nodded. "Well, I managed to get my hands on a few guest passes to the ship. Cost a shiny bit of coin, but it's done. And I got a way to get some of your people in as workers, if need be. ID's, a few low-level clearances, you know the sort of thing."

Marcus and Mal nodded in unison. Easy continued, "And I assume you need some coin for the tables. Make it look like you're there for some serious gambling." He pulled a bag of coin from his desk drawer. "I can provide more, if you think it's necessary."

"How about access codes, blueprints, anything like that?" Marcus asked.

Easy shook his head. "Still working on that. Security's tighter than a tick on that boat. And increased for the gala, at that. I'm not sure I can get much more than I've already got." He paused, taking in Mal's expression. "But the take, when you get there….well, let's just say that we can all take some time to enjoy our wealth once the job's done. Like a gorram buffet to a starving man."

Mal leaned forward in his chair. "Show us what you've got so far."

XXXXXXXXXX

Jayne, Jim, and Zoe sat around the huge galley table of the Hit or Miss, looking skeptical in varying degrees. "You sure about this, sir?" Zoe asked.

Mal looked at her in mock confusion. "Why do you ask?"

Zoe raised an eloquent eyebrow. "Seems as I recall reading somewhere that the Persephone Queen is one of the most secure gambling establishments anywhere in the Core. Leads me to question the feasibility of gettin' in and out without somebody gettin' corpsified."

"You might be right," Mal conceded, grinning. "Trick is to be sure it's none of us as gets corpsified."

"Good trick, too," Jim muttered, just barely audibly.

Mal opened his mouth to answer, but Jayne cut him off. Looking rather more green than usual, he said, "Might not be the best idea for me to go on this job."

"Don't recall as there's a clause in your contract sayin' you get to pick and choose which jobs you go on," Mal replied evenly.

"Still," Jayne continued. "Ain't likely I'll be allowed on the boat no ways."

"Because…?" Marcus asked.

Jayne grimaced, not pleased to have to reveal the reason. "Let's just say I been there before. And it didn't work out none too good. Captain of the place mighta' said somethin' about bein' banned for life from the Persephone Queen."

"Might have?" Jim asked. "Seems that's something I'd try to be sure of, if I were in similar circumstances."

"Yeah well, everything that happened is a mite fuzzy," Jayne said gruffly. "But the parts as are clear don't bode all that well for the Captain bein' forgivin', if you know what I mean." When silence fell around the table, Jayne shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "'S'why I was workin' for Marco when we ran into you, Mal. Weren't exactly by my choice."

Mal pinched the bridge of his nose between thumb and forefinger. Sighing, he said, "What exactly did you do, Jayne?"

Jayne cleared his throat, glancing around the table almost apologetically. "Well, you see, the Captain had a young wife and he ain't the most fit of men. And well, she was kinda restless, if you know what I mean, and right pretty and ….."

Mal held up his hand. "Don't think I want to be hearing the rest of this tale," he said, sighing. After a moment, he added, "We're just gonna have to work around that somehow, I conjure."

Zoe's brows drew together in a deep V. "I wasn't overly optimistic about the odds before, but if Jayne can't…."

Mal held up a silencing hand, and Zoe abruptly stopped talking. "We'll see to it," Mal reiterated.

XXXXXXXXXX

Mal walked slowly along the corridor, mentally running through all the different possible scenarios once they were aboard the Persephone Queen. River quietly slipped up beside him, taking his arm as they moved forward. "You got any thoughts on this one, darlin'?" he asked softly.

"Not really," River replied regretfully. "Not enough information to work the equations."

"Yeah, I know what you mean," Mal said. "Seems like this job might not be as much fun as I had originally thought."

River sighed, squeezing his arm. "They rarely are, are they?"

Mal laughed lightly. "S'pose not," he said. "But you gotta admit, a trip to the Persephone Queen will be a treat in itself."

River nodded. "I've never been on a gambling boat before," she said. "Mother and Father would sometimes indulge in a little light gambling, but Simon and I were never allowed to accompany them on their little adventures."

"Didn't want to corrupt your impressionable minds, no doubt," Mal said, beginning to grin.

"No doubt," River agreed, her own lips curving into a mischievous smile.

"It occurs to me you'd be a damn fine card player," Mal said. "Hard to bluff a psychic killer-woman."

"I may have missed my true calling," River replied lightly, twirling into his arms with a graceful step.

"Maybehaps," Mal agreed, thinking that she was right where she needed to be.

XXXXXXXXXX

Adam and Anya sat in the engine room of the Hit or Miss, half watching Daniel and half watching Kaylee and Murdocke as the two examined the new parts installed since Kaylee's last visit.

Kaylee squealed with delight as she caught sight of the atmospheric guidance module Murdocke was so very proud to display. Running her hands lovingly along its sleek lines, she said wistfully, "How I would love to see this baby in action."

Murdocke grinned. "Maybe we'll be able to arrange it. I gotta tell you, she's a thing of rare beauty when she's fired up."

Kaylee nodded, just imagining the sight. Glancing around, she saw another modification that had been made. "Ohhh," she exclaimed. "You know, I thought of rigging Serenity to do that, but I weren't sure if she could stand the strain, what with the wet wirin' and all."

Murdocke nodded. "I was a mite concerned as well, but we were at the docks on Ita for awhile, and I figured if I blew the parts, I could always replace 'em there."

Kaylee nodded. "That little junk yard on the edge of the settlement?"

"That's the one," Murdocke said, beaming. "Got the best replacement parts for the best prices on most worlds spinning."

Kaylee nodded, lying on her back to inch herself under the engine. "Just wanna take a look at the…"

Pierre strode into the engine room, glancing at the children before turning his attention back to the adults. Anya, seeing his entrance, sat up straighter, righting her clothes and patting her golden hair into place. She smiled sunnily.

Oblivious to her attention, Pierre looked at Murdocke. "This a safe place for the children?"

Kaylee peeked out from under the engine. "'S'all right," she said. "They're used to being in Serenity's engine room. They know their way around."

Pierre nodded, glancing back in time to see Anya's bright smile. He inclined his head slightly, thinking about how cute the little girl was. Anya beamed, and Murdocke, noting the incident, filed it away for later. "What do you want, Pierre?" he asked. "Ain't like you to just come down here to chew the fat."

"You're right," he said dryly. "I can honestly say I never go anywhere to 'chew the fat'. Marcus and Mal are ready to start planning the job details. It's time to look sharp."

Murdocke nodded. "Got it," he answered, all business now. "We'll be ready."

Pierre nodded, turning on his heel and leaving the room without a backward glance. Seeing Anya's smile falter, Murdocke sighed. "Best you kids get on out of here. Work to be done."

Adam and Anya nodded, knowing not to argue with that command. Murdocke, seeing them stand up, leaned down to Kaylee. "Looks like the little girl might have a slight crush on our pilot," he whispered, low enough for the children not to hear.

Kaylee looked up at him in surprise, sliding out from under the engine. "You think so?" she asked.

"Seems very interested when he comes anywhere about her," Murdocke confirmed. "Might want to be aware of it."

Kaylee nodded. "Just a simple little crush, no doubt. I guess she's gettin' to the age to be havin' some of them. I remember well enough back on Harvest…"

Murdocke sighed, interrupting her trip down memory lane. "Don't think we have time to hear the happy tale," he said, not unkindly.

"Guess you're right," Kaylee said, blushing slightly. "Just got me sidetracked there for a minute."

"Miss Kaylee," Anya called from across the room, an unusual note of panic in her voice.

"What is it, sweetie?" Kaylee asked.

Anya blushed furiously. "We…we can't find Daniel. He was just here a minute ago, and now…he's not."

Kaylee's heart flipped wildly in her chest. "Can't have gone too far," she said, forcing cheer into her voice. She and Murdocke looked around quickly, eliminating the obvious choices. "You two go on and find the Cap'n," Kaylee said. "We'll find Daniel."

The two children left quickly, relieved to be gone from the scene of their mistake. Kaylee and Murdocke split up, searching through the cubby holes and cabinets with increasing concern.

After agonizing minutes, Murdocke called, "Kaylee, I think I know where he is."

Kaylee ran to Murdocke's side, and gazed up into the secondary air shaft. "How'd he get up into …?" Murdocke began.

"Don't even ask," Kaylee replied. "He's a right wonder at climbing." Pulling the little boy out by his ankles, she was surprised when several small parts came rolling out with him. He looked up at her and grinned. "Playing," he said, as distinctly as if he was several years older.

Murdocke looked at the scattered parts, picking up several and holding them to the light. "It's the secondary air filter assembly," he said in wonderment. "I've been meaning to take it out for weeks. Needed a good cleaning."

Kaylee took a part from his hand. "Don't look like it needs cleaning now," she said, admiring the gleaming part. She looked down at Daniel, trying to find the grease that he most surely had somewhere on his clothes, but he looked positively pristine.

He grinned up at his mother again, and then turned his attention back to the small parts that had landed in his lap. Putting them together with amazing skill, he handed the newly assembled pieces to his mother.

Kaylee took it, turning it over in her hands in amazement. "Looks like he might have inherited a gift or two," Murdocke said quietly.

"Guess so," Kaylee said slowly, flabbergasted by the revelation. Clearing her throat nervously, she picked Daniel up. "Best we be goin' to see what's gotta be done for the job," she said, hugging him tightly to her.

Murdocke nodded and watched her walk away, a quizzical expression on his face.

XXXXXXXXXX

To be continued


	6. Pocket Pair

Four of a Kind

**Four of a Kind**

**Part VI—Pocket Pair**

Authors: Midnight Obsidian and justslummin

Disclaimer: Don't own 'em. Just playin' in Joss' sandbox.

Rating: PG

Summary: Marcus and Mal set about planning the caper, and Simon teaches a class in etiquette.

XXXXXXXXXX

Marcus rolled his neck from side to side irritably. "Gettin' a gorram kink from looking at these plans," he muttered darkly.

Mal sighed, pushing back from Serenity's galley table and pinching the bridge of his nose between thumb and forefinger. "Bad thing is, this probably isn't even how the Persephone Queen is laid out," he said.

Inara glided gracefully into the galley in search of her best tin of tea. Looking at the general petulant expression on the faces of the two Captains, she wondered what the current problem was. Taking her time at her task, she listened as they talked.

"Well, it's bound to be somewhat similar," Marcus was saying in a hopeful tone. "I mean, they wouldn't have any reason to change the basic design all that radically within a couple of years, would they?"

"Don't seem likely," Mal agreed. "But then again, I'm not wildly fond of betting on the Alliance designing anything with any degree of consistency. For all we know, the Persephone Queen is a one of a kind deal."

Marcus ran his hands through his hair, lacing his fingers at the back of his head and leaning back to stare at the bulkhead. "Just gonna have to improvise, seeing as how we can't be sure of the layout 'til we're standin' on the gorram deck."

Inara walked casually over to the table, setting her teacup down with a delicate clink. "Am I to understand that the current hitch in your masterful plan is that you lack the schematics for the Persephone Queen?" she asked, one eyebrow raised.

"Well, 'Nara, it ain't like they've made those plans a matter of public record," Mal replied thinly. "Seems they're a mite worried that some enterprising businessmen such as ourselves might take too active an interest, if you know what I mean."

"Tightest security in the private sector," Marcus added ruefully.

Inara took a delicate sip of her tea. "Perhaps I might be of some assistance," she said.

"Less you got a degree in engineering or ship building, I doubt it," Mal replied.

Inara smiled sweetly, taking up the subtle challenge with relish. "Gentlemen, follow me," she said. "And for Buddha's sake, don't say anything."

Exchanging puzzled looks, Mal and Marcus followed Inara to her shuttle. Shooing them out of visual range of her Cortex screen, she punched in a sequence of numbers. Within seconds, a face appeared on the screen.

"What can I do for you?" the man asked, staring at Inara in some amazement.

Gifting him with her most dazzling smile, Inara said, "Am I speaking with the Drydock Maintenance Supervisor?"

The man puffed out his chest proudly. "That you are, ma'am."

"Wonderful," Inara said, beaming at him as if she'd just discovered he was the Messiah. "Forgive my rudeness, sir," she continued. "My name is Inara Serra, and I am calling because I fear I am in need of your assistance."

The man leaned forward eagerly, eyeing the screen with hungry eyes. "And what can I do for you, Miss Serra?"

"Well, you see," Inara said, ducking her head slightly and blushing becomingly. "I have obligated myself to assist one of my clients with a private party that he is organizing. He wishes to make use of the Persephone Queen, and I promised him I would provide him with a detailed floorplan so that we can get started with the preliminary preparations. But I …." She paused, smiling apologetically. "I seem to have misplaced the plans that I received from the Captain of the Persephone Queen. I feel rather silly about it, and I hate to bother him for them again, especially since he is so busy preparing for the upcoming gala. But my client needs them sooner rather than later." She looked at the supervisor with wide, kohl eyes. "Is there any way you could help me?"

The maintenance supervisor smiled widely. "No problem," he said. "I'd be more than pleased to help out such a lovely lady."

Inara's smile brightened like the rays of the sun. "You're such a dear man," she gushed.

"It's nothing," the man replied, though Mal could practically see his head swell from where he stood. "Where shall I messenger them?"

"Oh, I wouldn't want you to have to go to the trouble of sending them by courier," Inara replied smoothly. "This wave address is encrypted. It is perfectly safe. You can send them directly to me, if you would be so kind."

"Of course, ma'am," he replied, thinking her altogether the most beautiful creature he'd ever seen. "You'll have them as soon as possible."

"Thank you, sir," Inara said. "You are truly a life saver." Catching a glimpse of his blush, she added, "I'll be sure to see to it that you are rewarded for your promptness."

"Thank you, ma'am," he said, cutting the transmission in a hurry so that he could send the nice lady what she needed.

Inara sat, calmly looking at her screen while Marcus stared at her open-mouthed. Having never been on the receiving end of her particular brand of charm, he was more than a little impressed.

Within ten minutes, Inara turned to Mal with a triumphant smile. Pushing one button, she stood up and motioned for the two Captains to look at the screen.

"Well, I'll be damned," Mal said, watching with genuine amazement as a detailed floorplan of the Persephone Queen scrolled out before him.

"I'll send it to the screen on the bridge," Inara said. "If you will excuse me…."

Mal looked at Marcus. "That's her fancy way of saying get out."

Marcus nodded, walking in a daze out of the shuttle. As he and Mal headed to the bridge, he said, "You know, I've seen a lot of things in my time, but all things considered, that might just be the scariest display of feminine wiles I've ever encountered."

"Uh huh," Mal said, not breaking stride. "Way I see it, that poor hundan didn't stand a chance."

XXXXXXXXXX

Simon closed his eyes for a moment, gathering his calm. "Let's try that again," he said to Murdocke. "And this time, don't grab her hand like it's a shovel handle."

"Don't see why I gotta know this go se anyway," Murdocke muttered. "Ain't like I'm gonna be the one minglin' with the higher-ups."

"You don't know that," River pointed out logically. "The plan's not set yet, and your Captain said that you were to be a part of this practice."

"Payback for the shower incident, no doubt," Murdock said, scowling.

"Just shut up and take the lady's hand," Bear said, sighing. "It ain't brain surgery."

Jim winced at the mention of brain surgery, but Zoe squeezed his hand encouragingly.

"All right, Kaylee," Simon said. "When a lady meets a gentleman, she extends her hand like this." He turned to River, who offered her hand gracefully.

Kaylee nodded, biting her lip with concentration. Holding out her hand to Murdocke, she smiled in what she hoped was a ladylike fashion. Murdocke grabbed her hand, hauling it to his lips with something less than finesse.

Simon scrubbed his hands over his face, sighing deeply. "Bear, why don't you give it a try?"

Bear nodded, taking Kaylee's small hand into his large paw and placing the most delicate of kisses there. "That about right?" he asked.

Simon looked at him in amazement. "That was very well done," he admitted. "Now what would you say to the lady?"

"Good to meet ya'?" Bear asked, frowning.

Jim snorted, and Simon looked at him reprovingly. "No snorting. I seem to recall you didn't do so well either."

Looking appropriately chastened, Jim offered, "How about, I'm pleased to make your acquaintance?" he suggested.

Simon nodded. "That's good," he said. "Though you'd have to tone down that snide edge in your voice."

Murdocke exhaled loudly. "Looks to me like we ain't gonna get past the howdy-do's 'fore the gala's over, at this rate. Can we just move on to somethin' else?"

Simon looked at River, who returned his desperate gaze with a dazzling smile. "Maybe table manners?" she suggested.

"Yeah, table manners," Murdocke said. "Least we could be eatin' whilst we waste our time."

"All right," Simon said, motioning them all to the small table he'd set up in the corner.

Kaylee whistled. "That's an awful lot of forks for one meal," she said, looking at the table setting doubtfully. "And what's this little doohickey for?"

Simon gently took the utensil out of her hand. "It's a cocktail fork," he said.

"I thought cocktails were drinks," Bear said in confusion. "What'da' need a fork for?"

Simon held up his hand. "Okay, let's start at the beginning. First of all….."

Mal and Marcus strode into the common area. "So, you got 'em all fancified, doc?" Mal asked heartily. "They ready for dinner with the King of Londinium yet?"

"At this point, I would say they're not ready for dinner with the King's pets yet," Simon said with frustration.

Mal frowned. "Well, best you get busy with the teachin' then. 'Cause we ain't got an abundance of time."

Thinking that it would be easier to just shoot himself than to teach this group what Mal was expecting, Simon looked at River beseechingly. River grinned. "Could always teach Zoe and Kaylee how to dance, while I discuss the finer points of cutlery with the men," she suggested.

"There's gonna be dancin'?" Zoe objected, as Simon turned to face the music.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Well, now that we got the right schematics, I don't see as the situation has improved a helluva lot," Marcus said, rubbing his temples tiredly.

Mal had to agree. Having spent the last several hours bent over the galley table with the floorplan of the Persephone Queen laid out before them, he could see that this job was going to be a lot trickier than he would have hoped. "Just don't see an easy way to do this," he sighed. "Gonna require maneuvering as slick as spit to get us back out once we're in."

River and Dr. Striker walked into the galley, talking softly about something as they entered. Seeing her husband's look of utter frustration, River came to stand behind him, her hands resting lightly on his shoulders as she leaned to kiss his cheek. "Everything all right, ai ren?"

Mal smiled tiredly up at her. "Well, with the exception of us gettin' all manner of corpsified if we go through with this plan, I'd say everything's just shiny."

Elizabeth frowned slightly. "Is there anything I could do to assist you?" she asked Marcus, seeing a similar look on his face.

Marcus looked at her in surprise. "Oh no, Doctor, I don't think….well, could be you don't understand exactly what it is we're plannin' to do."

Elizabeth put a hand on her well-turned hip. "As I understand it, it is your intention to infiltrate the gala on the Persephone Queen, make off with a large sum of money, and get back home in one piece. Am I correct?"

"Well, yes," Marcus said. "But it's not gonna be as easy as just sauntering in and grabbin' the goods. Folks like that tend to object rather strenuously when they're about to lose their cashy money. It's like to get dangerous up there."

The doctor leaned forward, fixing Marcus with a steady gaze. "I know quite a lot about the kind of people that will be up there," she said. "And true be told, I wouldn't mind having a little part in stripping Persephone's finest of a few layers of wealth. Besides, I assume you'd be providing suitable attire for this little outing. Perhaps something with a little slink in it?" She smiled, running her hand slowly down the curve of her hip. "After all, Captain Hazzard, I've been treated to your good side already. Perhaps you'd like to see mine?"

Turning on her heel very slowly, she looked back over her shoulder. "Just offering my services," she said before walking out of the galley.

Marcus sat looking after her, his jaw hanging open for a long moment as he thought about just what she might look like in a slinky dress of his choosing. He was brought back to reality by the sound of Mal clearing his throat. "Interesting medic you got there, Marcus," he said dryly.

"Yeah," Marcus said, unable to string more words than that together just yet.

XXXXXXXXXX

To be continued


	7. Two Queens, Unsuited

Four of a Kind

**Four of a Kind**

**Part VII—Two Queens Unsuited**

Author: Midnight Obsidian and justslummin

Disclaimer: Don't own 'em. Just playin' in Joss' sandbox.

Rating: PG

Summary: The plans progress, and Jayne finds himself in an uncomfortable situation.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Don't see how it is that I got strong-armed into doin' this," Jayne muttered darkly, following Inara and Elizabeth down the narrow streets of Persephone's more upscale shopping district.

"Perhaps it has something to do with the circumstances surrounding your banishment from the Persephone Queen," Inara said, shooting him a stern look.

"Aw hell, Inara," Jayne said. "I've told you already it weren't nothing to be riled up about. She was there, I was there, and I didn't even know you yet. I don't see the outstanding issue."

Inara rolled her eyes and turned back to look at one of the shop windows. "And therein lies the problem," she said, causing Elizabeth to fight to suppress her laughter. "Regardless of why you're here, however, you can be of use. I'm quite sure that Dr. Striker and I will not be able to carry the packages back to Serenity."

"So, just because I spent some time with a lonely woman years before I met you, I gotta be a pack mule?" Jayne groused.

Inara turned to face him, giving him a winning smile. "Yes," she answered simply.

Jayne muttered a low string of Mandarin, but dutifully held the door of the little boutique open so that Inara and Elizabeth could enter. "But I ain't goin' in," he said firmly. "I'll just be right out here when you're done."

Inara nodded, gathering her skirts about her and stepping into the cool interior of the shop. "Though it is small," she said to Elizabeth, "I think this shop has some of the finest dresses in all of Persephone. And since Mr. Mercury is footing the bill…" She let her words trail off as she grinned.

"Now that you mention it, I see what you mean," Elizabeth said, beginning to look through the various fabrics and styles eagerly.

Once the two women had selected a variety of garments for themselves and the other women aboard Serenity, Inara went to the door of the shop and beckoned Jayne. Looking perfectly miserable, he picked up the odd assortment of boxes and bags. "So, we done?" he asked hopefully, peering over the top of one of the boxes.

"Nowhere even close," Elizabeth answered merrily. "But perhaps we need to take these back to the ship before we go anywhere else."

Determined not to have to spend the entire day shopping with them, Jayne suggested, "How's about I get these back to the ship and come back for you in about an hour?"

"I would prefer you to come back right away," Inara said. At his look of annoyance, she added sweetly, "And bring the mule."

"Just how much are you plannin' on gettin'?" Jayne asked.

"It is no simple task to outfit an entire crew in suitable clothing for a gala," Inara said. "Why, the underthings alone…"

Jayne rubbed his beard, beginning to grin. "And what part of the plan exactly calls for showing off your underthings?" he asked.

Inara's eyes sparkled with merriment. "One never knows," she replied, her smile wicked. "It is always best to be prepared."

Shaking his head at the thought, Jayne headed back to Serenity, his arms full of packages and his head full of lustful thoughts.

Elizabeth watched him go with a quizzical expression on her face. Noting it, Inara asked, "What are you thinking about?"

Elizabeth turned, tilting her head to the side in thought. "Just wondering, if I might be so bold as to ask, what was it that attracted you to a man like Jayne? I mean, he's very swai, but somehow I would have pictured you with someone more….well, perhaps someone like your Captain."

Inara laughed. "The relationship I have with Jayne is…complicated. He's loud, crude, and vulgar most of the time, but…." She paused, warming to her subject. "There's something about him, something fundamentally strong…and good. For all his bluster, he can sometimes just take my breath away with his tenderness. A walking contradiction, in every conceivable way. Perhaps I'm drawn to him because I never know what he's going to do next, but then, on the other hand, I can depend on him to be exactly who he is." She shook her head, finding it difficult to articulate the mystery that was Jayne. "Do you understand what I mean?"

Elizabeth smiled. "Clear as mud," she replied, her blue eyes twinkling with mischief.

"And as to preferring the Captain," Inara said. "I seem to notice that you have, shall we say, a marked interest in ship Captains yourself."

Elizabeth blushed. "Is it that obvious?" she asked.

"Oh yes," Inara confirmed.

"Well, it's just that Marcus is so….loyal to his crew, so determined to make a life for them all out in the Black. So very unlike the men I've had to deal with for the past several years. He genuinely cares about them. And you should have seen him in the shower….well, no, you shouldn't have. I mean, I shouldn't have, but…"

"I'm sure it was…interesting," Inara said, watching Elizabeth turn a deeper shade of pink.

"I didn't mean it that way," Elizabeth said. "It's just that even then, in that circumstance, he was so…gentlemanly. So modest. Really quite endearing, that quality in a man." When she saw Inara's expression, she added, "I mean, it was obvious to me that Marcus would no sooner be disloyal than Jayne would try to be….a eunuch. Just not in his nature, I'm trying to say."

Inara stopped for a moment. "That gives me an idea," she said, tapping her lip with one well-manicured fingertip.

"What kind of….?" Elizabeth began, only to be interrupted by Jayne's arrival with the mule.

"Ain't the easiest thing to get this mule through these narrow streets," he said by way of an explanation as to why he had not come sooner. Seeing Inara's thoughtful expression, he suddenly had a bad feeling about what was about to happen. Beginning to shake his head, he said, "Whatever it is you've got runnin' 'round in that pretty little head of yours, I can tell you now it ain't gonna happen."

"Now Jayne," Inara said sweetly, "You know I'd never ask you to do anything you don't want to do."

Jayne snorted. "Since when?" he asked, though his tone of voice softened his words.

"Perhaps I should leave the two of you alone for a bit," Elizabeth said, seeing a battle brewing that she wanted to stay clear of. "I'll just be in that little store two doors down, looking for some shoes."

Neither Jayne nor Inara acknowledged her statement, both looking at each other with more than a little determination.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Wish I was going to the Persephone Queen," Anya said, fingering the delicate fabric of Zoe's dress.

"Aside from the fact that we're going there to do crime, they don't let girls your age on gambling vessels," Zoe said blandly.

"Still," Anya said wistfully. "Everybody's gonna look so grand, and there will be dancing and eating and…"

Zoe took her daughter's hand in her own. "Will be sooner than you think that you'll be old enough to go to such places," she said softly. "And when you do, you will discover that none of them are as beautiful to you as Serenity. 'Least, that's what I always think."

"You don't ever imagine what it would be like to live in a Core world?" Anya asked. "Where everything in the 'verse is at your fingertips?"

"Not much for dirt-kissing," Zoe replied. "And there are plenty of folks who live on Core worlds and still don't have the basic necessities of life. It ain't all parties and galas, and dancing with handsome young men. No matter where you go, Anya, folks got the same problems, the same worries as anyone else. It's part of being human."

Anya sighed. "I suppose so," she said. "But it would still have been nice to have a new dress."

Zoe smiled, walking to her closet and rummaging around in the back of it for a moment. "Inara and Elizabeth thought you might like a little something, so they picked you up a dress." She pulled it out of the closet with a flourish. "You like it?"

Anya squealed with pleasure, touching the folds of delicate fabric like a treasure. "Can I try it on?" she breathed.

"'Spect that's the only way to see if it fits," Zoe replied, smiling.

Thinking that the dress was the prettiest thing she'd ever seen, Anya hugged her mother tightly. "Love you, Mama," she said.

"Love you too, little one," Zoe answered softly.

XXXXXXXXXX

With the exception of Jayne, both crews were gathered around Serenity's table, where Mal and Marcus were describing the finer points of the heist to come.

"All right," Mal said, running his thumbs down his suspenders. "As you can see from the floorplan Inara so kindly provided for us, we gotta basically cover two different areas. First, there are the gaming tables themselves. They are split up into two different floors, with one floor almost entirely devoted to cards, and the other floor to the other games of chance. Simon, you and Kaylee will be concentrating on providing us a distraction at the regular gaming tables. Security's tight there, but Kaylee here will have some interesting little items in her purse to confound the systems somewhat."

Kaylee grinned. "Workin' on 'em already, Capt'n," she said sunnily.

"Good," Mal said, grinning in reply. "Bear will be with you, as the finest bodyguard a young, wealthy Persephone couple can buy. That way, if anything goes amiss, he'll be with you to get the two of you out of harm's way. Dong ma?"

Simon, Kaylee, and Bear all nodded in understanding.

"Now Dr. Striker and I will be on the second level," Marcus said, pointing on the plans to the spot he was discussing. "We're going to be trying our hands at cards while disabling the security in that area." He smiled at Elizabeth, noting with pleasure a faint blush appear on her cheeks.

"Inara and I will be on the third level," Mal replied. "That's where the Security station for the entire ship is housed. With Kaylee's little gadgets, we will disable their main feeds and provide a little distraction to ease this plan along."

"Why you and Inara?" Murdocke asked. "I mean, no disrespect to Inara, but she doesn't look like the security-feed disrupting type."

Inara smiled. "You're right, Mr. Murdocke. I am more the distraction type. And if for some reason my normal distractions don't work, I'm sure that Mal and I can argue loudly enough to distract practically anyone."

"She's right," Kaylee said. "Heard 'em do it for a long time."

Zoe's lips twitched slightly, but she said nothing.

Mal frowned at Kaylee. "Thanks for that keen observation, mei mei," he said.

"No problem, Capt'n," Kaylee replied.

Marcus broke in, interrupting their moment. "That leaves Zoe, Jim, Murdocke, and Pierre to get to the safe."

"And how are we going to get into the safe once we're there?" Pierre asked.

"Leave that to me," Murdocke said confidently. "You three just cover my back, and I'll worry about the safe."

"And what do River and Jayne do?" Simon asked. "Just babysit?"

"They'll be here on Serenity, keeping her warm for us," Mal replied. "Conjure we'll be needing a quick getaway."

"Seems a waste, not having Jayne on the Persephone Queen," Zoe said.

"Well, there's no help for it," Mal said. "Being as how he got hisself banned for life…"

"Actually," Inara said, interrupting Mal's mini-tirade. "I've been thinking that we might need to add a little something to the distraction mix, and I think I may have come up with a way to sidestep Jayne's unfortunate banning."

Motioning Jayne to come forward from where he had been hiding in the shadows of the corridor, Inara turned to the crews triumphantly. "What do you think?" she asked.

There was complete silence as everyone looked at the mercenary in various stages of disbelief. Jayne shifted uncomfortably, tugging at his very ornate outfit and sporting a clean shaven chin and shockingly blonde hair.

"Who are you and what have you done with Jayne?" Simon deadpanned when he could string words together again.

"I'll show you who I am," Jayne growled, obviously well past the point of embarrassment and into complete and utter irritation.

"Now, now, Simon," Mal said, barely holding in a guffaw, "We mustn't pick on him. Could be we'd offend his delicate sensibilities."

With that both crews burst in gales of laughter, the sound reverberating through the bulkhead pleasantly.

"Can we just get to the gorram job?" Jayne asked.

"Maybe after a group capture," Jim said. "Think I'll be wanting to see this over and over again. Wouldn't want to forget such a thing."

"You even think about takin' a capture….," Jayne began.

Mal held up his hand, stopping the violence before it began. "All right, all right," he said. "Now that Jayne is in play, we can adjust things somewhat." And consulting with Marcus, he did just that.

XXXXXXXXXX

To be continued


	8. Ante

Four of a Kind

**Four of a Kind**

**Part VIII—Ante**

Authors: Midnight Obsidian and justslummin

Disclaimer: Don't own 'em. Just playin' in Joss' sandbox.

Rating: PG

Summary: Marcus and Mal hand Easy the bill, and the two crews get ready to board the Persephone Queen.

XXXXXXXXXX

Easy Mercury rose from behind his desk eagerly, welcoming Marcus and Mal like long-lost friends. Pumping Mal's hand enthusiastically, he motioned for the two Captains to sit down. "So," he said heartily. "I assume the fact that you called this little meeting indicates the plan is taking shape?"

Marcus nodded. "We've got all the basics covered," he said calmly.

Easy leaned forward in his chair. "Got the floorplan and everything?" he asked. When Mal nodded, he said, "How'd you do that? I wasn't even able to…"

Mal glanced at Marcus with a small grin. "We're professionals, Easy. No need to trouble yourself."

Easy shook his head in slight bewilderment. "Well, however you did it, I'm delighted it's done. So, when do you think you'll be needing the boarding passes?"

"Now," Marcus replied.

Easy nodded, producing a small key from his vest pocket. Opening the middle drawer of his desk, he laid the boarding passes out on the table with a flourish. "The genuine article, these are," he said proudly. "Cost me a shiny coin, too."

Marcus examined the passes critically for a moment. Satisfied, he slipped them into his breast pocket. "Speakin' of coin…" he began.

Easy nodded eagerly. "Got credits aplenty for all of you to make a showing at the tables," he said, pushing a small bag across the table to Mal.

Mal hefted the bag expertly. Satisfied with its weight, he pulled a handful of receipts from his pocket. "Thought we'd go ahead and leave these with you," he said easily, sliding them toward Easy.

Easy was quiet for a long moment, flipping ever more quickly through the receipts. He cleared his throat and reached into his desk drawer again, pulling out a pair of glasses. Setting them on his nose with something akin to embarrassment, he looked more carefully at the receipts. His mouth dropped open. "This is quite a sum," he said, his voice unnaturally high. "What exactly did you buy for these prices?"

Mal looked at him calmly. "You want an itemized list?"

Easy swallowed a little nervously. "No, that won't be necessary. I just….well, I had not anticipated…."

"You want us to blend in with Persephone's finest, it takes a little spending," Marcus said. "Being as how we don't usually dress for dinner and such. You understand."

Something in his tone made Easy nod quickly. "Of course, of course," he said, stuffing the receipts into a ledger on the desk. "Anyway, gotta spend money to make money, I've always heard." Clearing his throat, he added, "So, that's everything you'll be needing, right?"

"That and a hovercraft to deposit us at the boarding dock," Mal said. "Don't especially want to take one of Serenity's shuttles, you understand."

"I can arrange that," Easy said quickly. "You just let me know when to have it available."

Mal nodded, standing up slowly. "Well, in that case, I conjure we're done. We'll let you know soon's everybody's ready."

Easy stood as well, walking with the two Captains to his doorway. "Good luck, gentlemen," he said, watching them for a long time as they made their way down the narrow street back toward Eavesdowne docks.

XXXXXXXXXX

Kaylee pulled at the zipper of her dress, equal parts excited to be in such finery and nervous about her part in the upcoming caper. The zipper was stuck, and no amount of tugging in either direction was budging it. Muttering a Mandarin curse, she stepped out into the hallway, where River was passing.

"Think you can help me with this?" she asked, turning to show her sister-in-law the problem. "I'm all thumbs for some reason."

River smiled. "No need to worry. You did very well in the etiquette class." Dislodging the small thread that was hindering the progress of the zipper, she zipped the dress up quickly. "And the dress is stunning," she said, admiring the way it accented Kaylee's soft curves.

"It is, ain't it?" Kaylee said, running her hands along the sleek lines of the dress Inara and Elizabeth had chosen for her. "If'n I'd gone shoppin' with 'em, I'da' probably brought back something a little more…."

"Puffy," River suggested, amusement in her tone.

Kaylee nodded sheepishly. "But this, well this is another type of thing entirely."

River nodded. "Will serve as a much better distraction than you think. Every man in the room will be looking at you and ignoring everything else."

Kaylee blushed prettily, her lips canting into a smile. "Hope they're not looking so close they see my little gadgets to gum up the works," she said.

"Won't be looking at your hands at all," River replied. "Shall I help you put up your hair?"

Kaylee nodded eagerly. "Somethin' real regal-like," she said.

River nodded as they stepped back into Kaylee's room to retrieve a brush. Kaylee leaned back into the hypnotic rhythm of the brush strokes as River combed her hair to a shine. She thought about how talented River seemed to be at everything she tried. And the thought led her to another, more troubling idea. Biting her lip nervously, she said, "River, can I ask you something?"

"Anything," River said, intent on her current task.

Kaylee took a deep breath. "Is Daniel a…Reader?" she asked a little breathlessly.

River stopped in mid-stroke. "Why do you ask?" she said finally.

"Well, a strange kinda' thing happened a little while ago. Me and Murdocke were in the engine room of the Hit or Miss, and Daniel was there with us, and well….." She paused for a moment, gathering her courage. "Daniel took a secondary air filter apart and just put it back together like it weren't nothin'," she finished in a rush.

River pulled the brush through Kaylee's hair thoughtfully. "Doesn't mean he's a Reader," she said softly.

"Well, there've been other things too. He's just…well, he's real good with his hands. Knows things about the workin's of mechanical doohickeys more'n seems …natural."

River sighed, twisting Kaylee's hair up into an elaborate design with calm efficiency. "I don't believe he is a Reader, at least not in the conventional sense. But, he has inherited extreme intelligence, like Simon."

"And you," Kaylee interjected.

River nodded. "Plus, he has inherited your genius for machines. Not really a mystery, given his genes."

"So, you're sure he's not a Reader?" Kaylee asked again.

"As sure as is possible," River said. Smiling a little sadly, she added, "You don't have to worry, mei mei. No one will take him away. We will all be here to protect him from harm, regardless of his…unique abilities."

Kaylee smiled, somewhat reassured. Looking at herself in the mirror, she gasped in surprise. "I look like a refined lady," she said in awe. "Hope I can remember how to act like one."

Both women laughed lightly, the slight tension in the room suddenly broken.

XXXXXXXXXX

Marcus fidgeted with his collar, frustrated at the tie's inability to stand crisply. "Gorram things are a menace," he growled.

"Here, let me," Simon said from the other side of the room. "There's just a trick to it. You have to put this…." He paused, retying the offending garment. "…through this, like that."

Marcus looked at his reflection in the mirror to see that the tie was now magically stiff. "Never did quite get the hang of that," he said, grinning at Simon. "Thanks, doc."

"You're welcome," Simon said. "It took me awhile to figure it out too, and I've had a lot more practice than you have, I would imagine."

Marcus snorted. "Not much use for these contraptions where I'm from. 'Cept maybe to strangle someone with, in a pinch."

Simon smiled. "Well, it's always good to be prepared, I suppose," he deadpanned. Straightening his own collar, he said, "Think we'll have to wait much longer for the others?"

"If I remember correctly from my meager experience, I would say that it could be quite a wait, what with all the womenfolk still getting all fancified," Marcus replied, his mind inadvertently supplying him with a mental image of Elizabeth in various stages of undress. Licking his lips slightly, he said, "So….I understand that you and our Dr. Striker are old acquaintances."

"Yes, we are," Simon said. "Went to MedAcad together."

"Judging from her resume, I suspect she didn't have much time for socializing whilst she was there," Marcus said as casually as he could manage.

"Actually, she was…quite involved with social activities," Simon replied.

"That a fact?" Marcus said, intrigued. "So, you and she…did you socialize a lot?"

"Heavens, no," Simon said, laughing lightly. "I was altogether too…involved in my studies to be of any real interest to Elizabeth. She had an uncanny ability to just…" Simon gestured vaguely with his hands. "….enjoy every aspect of her life so fully. She is so vivacious, so…full of energy."

"So I'm noticing," Marcus said dryly.

"How so?" Simon asked, looking at him curiously.

Marcus cleared his throat. "Oh, you know, just takin' note of my crew, in a Captain-like sort of way."

"Um hmm," Simon said, realization of what was going on suddenly occurring to him. Deciding to have a little fun at the young Captain's expense, he added, "Though I suppose I should not reveal all her secrets. In the interest of helping her to maintain a good, professional relationship with you and your crew, I mean."

Marcus swallowed slowly, his mind supplying him with all manner of secrets Simon may be keeping about the fascinating doctor. "Well now, as Captain of the Hit or Miss, it could be that I need to know these secrets you're referring to."

Simon smiled. "Well, Elizabeth was, shall we say, quite a force to be reckoned with on the campus. She wasn't wildly interested in following the mindless regulations of the MedAcad bureaucracy."

"Hell-raiser, huh?" Marcus asked, smiling.

"In a manner of speaking, yes," Simon said. "Nothing too terrible, or she'd have been expelled from the program instead of graduating very near the top of the class. But I would say that she had a way of….rattling the cage a bit."

Marcus considered that mental image for a moment and decided quickly that the thought of Elizabeth rattling cages was perhaps not the best thing for him to contemplate if he wanted to be focused on the upcoming job. Shifting uncomfortably on his feet, he looked up to see Simon smiling widely. "What?" he said.

"It's nothing," Simon replied.

"That's a mighty wide grin for 'nothing'," Marcus groused.

Simon tried to regain a more serious expression. "It's just that I was not aware of your…attraction to Dr. Striker."

"My…attraction?" Marcus sputtered. "What attraction?"

Simon shook his head. "Doesn't work, you know. Denying attraction just delays the inevitable."

Almost afraid to take the bait and ask what the inevitable would be, Marcus said, "Didn't know you were a psychologist in addition to your other talents, Doc."

Simon smiled. Not able to resist one last remark, he said, "Yes, Captain, I'm sure you'll discover that we doctors are full of hidden talents." With that, Simon walked casually out of the room, leaving Marcus watching him with a slightly open mouth.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Everybody ready?" Mal asked, looking at the two crews milling about in Serenity's cargo bay.

"They clean up nice, don't they?" Marcus said, coming up beside him.

"A fine looking group of thieves," Mal replied, grinning. "You ready to do some crime?"

"Think I might be," Marcus said lightly.

Mal nodded, walking to the Cortex screen to put in a call for the hovercraft. "That bein' the case, let's go."

XXXXXXXXXX

To be continued


	9. Check

Four of a Kind

**Four of a Kind**

**Part IX--Check**

Authors: Midnight Obsidian and justslummin

Disclaimer: Don't own 'em. Just playin' in Joss' sandbox.

Rating: PG

Summary: The two crews get their first look at the Persephone Queen.

XXXXXXXXXX

Mal stood at Serenity's ramp beside River, watching the others climbing into the hovercraft. "Easy spared no expense with that contraption," he observed.

River nodded. "Had to be big enough for all of you to ride," she said.

Mal looked at her sharply. "You got no problem with sittin' this one out, right? I mean, I need you to be here to see to our getaway, but I guess it didn't occur to me that you might like to get prettied up and go on the Persephone Queen."

"It's all right," River said, smiling slightly. "I would have had to wear shoes."

Mal looked down at her wiggling toes and realized she genuinely did not mind being left to handle the children and the ship. "Still," he said, brushing his lips against her ear. "I woulda' liked to have seen you in one of them slinky dresses."

"Then come back safely, and I'll see what I can do," River replied, her breath blowing softly across his skin.

"I'll hold you to that," Mal replied, shivering a bit at the thought.

River reached to straighten his tie. "You look marvelous, ai ren," she said. "Stunning, even."

"Was aiming at stunning, truth to tell," Mal said, grinning as he headed down the ramp toward the waiting hovercraft. "Keep Serenity warm for me."

"Aye, aye, Captain," River replied.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Marcus had a serious need to loosen his tie. Though the hovercraft was spacious for a conveyance of its type, he found himself in the position of being side by side with Dr. Striker. There was a quite distracting slit in the side of her dress, revealing a tantalizing glimpse of a milky thigh sheathed in sheer silk stockings. That thigh, so very difficult for him to ignore, was currently pressed again his own as she slid further across the seat to allow Mal to sit.

He cleared his throat a little nervously and moved as far toward the other side of the seat as he could. Elizabeth, unaware of his discomfiture, slid as well, narrowing the distance between them again as Mal arranged himself on the other side. Marcus breathed in deeply through his nose, trying to calm his pulse rate.

Elizabeth turned at the slight sound. Suddenly acutely aware of her thigh pressed against his, she shifted away, a slight blush rising to her cheeks. "Sorry about that, Captain," she said. "Close quarters, I'm afraid."

"Not a problem," Marcus said casually. "Better you than Murdocke sitting so close, to my way of thinking."

Elizabeth smiled crookedly. "Glad to hear it," she said so low that only he could hear, setting Marcus' pulse to pounding once more.

On the other side of the hovercraft, Jayne grumbled under his breath. "Can't believe I'm gonna show my face in public lookin' like this," he said, looking down at his ruffled shirt in disgust.

"Well now, you wouldn't want the Captain of the Persephone Queen to recognize you, would you?" Inara asked in those honeyed tones that he had come to know signaled all manner of trouble.

"No," he replied, gritting his teeth. "But I coulda' stayed on the ship this time."

"Rather babysit than do crime?" Bear asked, raising an eyebrow. "You're slipping, my friend."

"Easy for you to say," Jayne growled. "Bein' as how you ain't dressed up like a gorram doll."

"Just wouldn't go with my manly physique," Bear replied, grinning.

"Don't imagine they even make those ruffled shirts big enough to go around you, Bear," Murdocke said.

"All right, that's enough," Marcus and Mal said at the same time. Marcus added, "This hovercraft ain't big enough for a fight. And none of us has a change of clothes if we get blood all over 'em. Dong ma?"

"That was downright eloquent, Captain," Pierre said, smiling beneath his mask.

"Had a kinda' poetry to it," Zoe added blandly.

Rolling his eyes, Marcus looked out the hovercraft transparency. "Look sharp," he said, putting the current conversation behind him. "We're coming up on the Queen now."

Everyone leaned toward the transparencies to get a glimpse of the regal ship. "Ain't she shiny?" Kaylee said, wide-eyed wonder on her face.

"She is that," Mal replied. Though he would never admit it openly, the sight of the ship nearly took his breath away. Lit up like a jewel in the Black, she looked proud and powerful.

"Would you look at that?" Marcus said, barely breathing as the hovercraft followed the line of bright lights into the docking bay of the ship.

Elizabeth leaned over his shoulder, her own eyes bright with reflected light. "I've always heard about it, but never imagined it would look like this," she said.

"Just wait 'til you see the inside," Jayne said, forgetting his earlier annoyance. "Looks like the fanciest whorehouse you'd ever want to see."

Everyone turned to glare at him. "What?" he asked. "Just sayin', is all."

"Perhaps you'd best start thinking about getting into character for this little performance," Inara said. "Percival."

Jayne winced. "Mal, can't we use some other name for me?"

"I think Percival is just the right name," Mal said merrily. "Suits you just fine."

Jayne's reply was cut off by Kaylee's squeal of delight. "Look," she said as the hover landed gently on the deck. "Look at all those people in the pretty fits."

"Those are just the greeters," Marcus said, grinning. "Come to welcome all the esteemed guests to their establishment. Everybody ready?"

The hovercraft doors were opened by smiling greeters, who offered their immediate assistance as the group disembarked. Herding them toward the identification scanners in the mildest of ways, the greeters fell back as the group walked into the cavernous main deck of the ship.

Mal glanced above him, looking at the floating chandeliers which Persephone's high society seemed to favor. "Still don't get the point of that," he murmured to Inara.

Inara resisted rolling her eyes. "The point is beauty, Mal," she said. "Simple beauty."

"Ain't nothin' simple about that whole arrangement," Mal said out of the corner of his mouth as they walked further into the room. Looking around, he realized that the others were unconsciously still clumped together, their eyes wide with the sights before them. Clearing his throat, he said, "'Bout time to break it up and mingle a mite, don't you think?"

Looking vaguely sheepish to have been caught out at their admiration of the finery before them, the crews dispersed, drifting about in different directions to give at least the appearance of mingling with the other guests.

Kaylee squeezed Simon's arm excitedly. "Look at all the pretty dresses," she said dreamily. "There's more silk here than on all of Harvest put together."

"And more hypocrisy to go with it, I'll wager," Simon replied in an amused tone. "Though I have to say this is even more opulent than I had imagined it would be."

Drifting back into Inara's orbit, Kaylee asked, "Are a lot of them Companions, do you think?"

Inara looked around discreetly. "I see a handful of them," she said. "Perhaps there will be more in evidence tomorrow, as the gambling begins. A lot of clients prefer to have a Companion on their arm when they arrive at the tables."

Mal snorted. "Ain't ever noticed having a Companion on my arm brought me any luck." Inara pinched his arm hard, causing him to wince and Jayne to chuckle. "Hey now," Mal protested. "No need for the hands-on. We ain't even in position yet."

On the other side of the room, Jim asked Zoe, "What exactly is holding that woman's dress up?"

Zoe followed his line of vision and raised an eyebrow. "Ain't sure I want to even contemplate it," she replied. "But I'm fair certain it involves pulleys of some kind."

Jim chuckled. "Most probably," he agreed. "You do know that you're the most stunning woman in this room, right?"

Zoe gave him a radiant smile. "Talk like that will get you most anywhere you want to go, mister."

Jim grinned, thanking heaven that he had regained his power of speech. Coming up behind them, Murdocke, as usual, ruined the moment. "Don't see why we gotta go through all this before the job," he said.

Pierre joined them with the fluid grace of a dancer. "Because," he said patiently. 'We want all these lovely people to have time to board the ship and deposit their valuables with the purser's office."

Murdocke looked at him, still unused to the face he had donned to blend in more readily with the crowd. "Why is it you don't wear one of those plastic faces all the time?" he asked.

Pierre sighed. "Too itchy. The mask is much more comfortable, and fits in with my general romantic thief demeanor. But for this crowd, I thought a prosthetic face would be more….appropriate."

"In other words, he don't want to stand out," Jayne said.

"In those precise words," Pierre replied blandly. "And speaking of standing out…."

Jayne scowled. "Don't even say nothin'," he warned.

Pierre snorted. "I would never say a thing, Percival."

Marcus sauntered slowly up to the group, Elizabeth hanging on his arm as if she'd always been there. "Remember the part about mingling?" he asked. "You know, with other people?"

Pierre nodded, peeling off from the rest of the group and heading toward a very pretty lady in the far corner of the room. Jim and Zoe headed toward the large buffet table to sample some of Persephone's finest cuisine, leaving Jayne and Murdocke standing alone.

Jayne shifted uncomfortably. "Best I be gettin' back," he said. "Can't play act at being Inara's lap dog if'n I ain't followin' her around."

"Yeah well, good luck with that," Murdocke said, tugging at his dinner jacket. "Guess I'll just see what there is to see."

Marcus and Elizabeth watched them from a discreet distance. "You sure it was a good idea to set them loose like that?" Elizabeth asked softly.

"Not in the least," Marcus said, grinning.

Mal sipped champagne from an impossibly expensive piece of crystal. "Like it?" Inara asked.

"Would prefer some of Kaylee's brew, to tell you the truth," Mal said. "This stuff's too sweet by a good bit."

"Surprisingly enough, I would agree," Inara replied, daintily sipping from her own glass. "I suppose years in the Black have blunted my taste for such things."

Mal smiled easily. "Not such a bad thing, when you think on it," he said.

"Not at all," Inara agreed. "Everything here seems almost…antiseptic, after awhile in the Black," she said. "Funny that I never noticed it until I rented your shuttle."

"Seems like that happened about a million and one years ago now," Mal replied, wondering if the bubbly was making him maudlin.

"And then sometimes like just yesterday," Inara replied. Thinking about the last time she'd been in Persephone's high society with Mal, her face fell slightly.

Sensing the turn the conversation was taking, Mal cleared his throat. "Least I ain't steppin' on your toes in a dance this time," he said.

"Or dueling for my honor," Inara said, smiling a bit sadly.

"Nah, I'm well over that stage," Mal said, seeing Jayne headed their way. "Think I'll leave all that to Percival."

Her heart suddenly lightened at the sight of Jayne dressed so ridiculously, she smiled genuinely at Mal. "I think that's a lovely idea."

Mal looked at his chronometer. "Looks like they'll be rolling up the red carpet soon. Guess we'd best get to our cabins. Long day ahead of us tomorrow." And casually gathering up the rest of the crew, he headed to the guest cabins for the night.

XXXXXXXXXX

To be continued


	10. Stacked Deck

Four of a Kind

**Four of a Kind**

**Part X—Stacked Deck**

Authors: Midnight Obsidian and justslummin

Disclaimer: Don't own 'em. Just playin' in Joss' sandbox.

Rating: PG

Summary: Morning dawns, and the plan is set in motion.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Seems kinda' bibbledy to get all fancified first thing in the morning," Kaylee said, standing at the ornate mirror in the guest cabin she was sharing with Simon.

Simon smiled as he buttoned up his vest. "You have to understand the mindset," he explained. "Everyone here is basically dressing to impress everyone else. It's not at all about comfort. It's all about the show."

Kaylee twirled in her dress. "And how do I measure up?" she asked.

"You'll be the prettiest woman in the room," Simon said with a conviction that made Kaylee blush warmly.

"Pretty handsome yourself," she said.

Simon found himself unaccountably blushing as well. Something about the change in their environment seemed to be invigorating them, drawing them closer than they had been since his bout with addiction. Perhaps it was simply the night they'd spent alone, without the distraction that Daniel couldn't help but supply at his tender age. Or perhaps, he thought in a moment of self-revelation, it was the prospect of being engaged in imminent crime that provided that extra spark that had been missing for some time. Shaking his head at his criminal bent of mind, he opened the door and allowed Kaylee to pass into the corridor.

The others were emerging from their cabins as well. Mal looked less than refreshed, having shared a cabin with Inara and Jayne. Thinking that he would need to gouge his eyes out to remove some of the images that had inadvertently been burned into his brain pan, he knew he would be headed toward the tantalizing smell of real coffee that was wafting into the corridor from the deck.

Marcus, for his part, was having his own issues. Somehow he had not envisioned fully how very difficult it was going to be to share his cabin with Elizabeth. He, of course, had slept on the couch, his long, lean body hanging over the edges and giving him a painful cramp in his leg. But the cramp was minor in comparison to the absolute discomfiture he had felt when Elizabeth had emerged from the opulent bath, her skin glowing from the warm water and her robe clinging to the curves he was trying desperately to ignore. Unaware of the effect she had, Elizabeth combed out her long, blonde hair until it shone in the dim light, making Marcus long to run his fingers through its silky strands. And so, in the light of morning, he was groggy still, having stared at the ceiling of the cabin long after her breathing had evened out into a restful sleep.

Zoe and Jim, on the other hand, were relaxed and happy, having taken advantage of the luxurious suite to enjoy the honeymoon night circumstances had been denied them after their wedding. Smiling at each other as they listened to Murdocke and Pierre bicker about something that had happened during the night in their own cabin, they followed the path the others had taken toward the breakfast area. Bear fell into step behind them, refereeing the fight between his two crew mates with a long-suffering look.

Over the meal, the crews chatted amiably, not mentioning the upcoming job for fear of listening ears. But during the course of the discussion, they all checked their watches to coordinate their activities as closely as possible considering that they would all be on different levels of the huge ship during the actual heist.

Pushing back from the table with a satisfied sigh, Mal looked at Marcus. Marcus nodded almost imperceptibly, and he and Elizabeth slipped out, heading toward the card tables on the second level.

In minutes, Simon and Kaylee rose to leave, Kaylee clutching her purse filled with the gadgets she and Murdocke had fashioned to disrupt the security feeds at the gaming tables. Bear, grabbing a last slice of bacon in his huge paw, followed them closely.

Holding out his arm to Inara, Mal pushed his chair back under the table. "Showtime," he said softly, escorting her toward the third level, where the main security unit was housed.

The others lingered at the table, wanting to be certain that the forward teams had time to begin to disrupt the security feeds before they headed toward the safe in the purser's office. After a reasonable amount of time had passed, they moved as a unit toward their destination.

XXXXXXXXXX

Kaylee sat down casually at huge roulette table in the center of the first level. Simon slipped into the chair beside her, placing a modest bet as Bear took up his position at their backs. They blended with the other gamblers at the table, seemingly mesmerized by the spinning of the large wheel and the clack-clack of the ball in its slot.

Unobtrusively, Kaylee fingered the clasp on her purse, withdrawing one of the tiny gadgets designed to jam the security feeds in the immediate area and placing it carefully under the lip of the table. Simon, playing his part to perfection, made appropriate disgruntled noises as his chips were raked away. He glanced at Kaylee, who nodded almost imperceptibly. "Think we should try our hand at the other tables," he said loudly, making a great show of disappointment in his losses.

Kaylee nodded, smiling sunnily as she slipped from her chair grasping her purse. "I'm sure we'll find more luck over there," she said, pointing to a table closer to the main security device for the first level. Simon offered his arm, and they walked casually over to their next target, Bear shadowing their movements.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Over there," Mal said quietly, indicating what appeared to be an unassuming small office suite nestled in the middle corridor of the third level.

Inara wrinkled her brow. "Are you certain? It looks too small to be the main security area for the entire ship."

"'Magine that's sorta the point," Mal said, pretending interest in the colorful displays in the windows of the posh boutiques that dotted the area. "Place like this the security's gotta be subtle, so as not to disrupt the good mood of the higher ups as are millin' about."

Inara nodded and paused at the display in front of them. "And how do you think this might look on me?" she asked, for the benefit of a small group of fellow passengers that was passing by. She held up a filmy white negligee, smiling coyly.

"'Spect that would be a right nice sight," Mal said a little loudly. "Though I ain't plannin' to plunk down more coin than I've already spent on you."

On cue, Inara turned on her heels, heading straight toward the security center. Mal followed her. "Hey now," he added loudly. "You can't just walk away from me like that. Paid you to hang on my arm, and that's where you're gonna stay."

Inara wheeled to face him, her face drawn in tight lines. "Our agreement, Mr. Smith," she said icily, making sure her voice carried to the others around them. "Was a simple one. One night of my services in exchange for your extra ticket to the gala. As you'll recall, I honored my end of that agreement last night, to your complete satisfaction as far as I am aware. Now, if you will excuse me…." She turned, making a bit more headway toward their goal before Mal grabbed her arm, spinning her about.

"Not so fast," he said loudly. She pretended to struggle against him, and he slipped one of Kaylee's devices from her purse to his pants pocket.

"You're hurting me," she said, jerking away from him with a wounded expression.

Towering over her, Mal answered loudly, "Not as bad as you're liable to get hurt if you don't simmer down and be sociable."

Though Jayne knew Mal and Inara were acting out their parts to get into the security center, something in the way Mal was manhandling her made him itch to do violence. He closed the distance between them. "You'll be needing to unhand the lady," he said, his fierce tone belying the foppish clothing he was wearing.

Mal glanced at him, irritated that he was deviating from the script. "None of your business, so far as I can see," he sneered, hamming his performance up. "You just worry on your pretty fits, and get the diyu outta my face."

Inara saw the small tick in Jayne's jaw and realized with dismay that the man was actually angry. She stepped between the two men, trying to get the whole plan back on track.

Mal, not quite aware yet that Jayne was serious, pushed her aside, making sure to aim her closer to the security suite. "This is between me and the whore," he said, putting all the venom he could manufacture into the word.

Inara gasped, the old moniker making her just as angry as it always had when Mal used it. Jayne immediately grasped Mal's shirt, pulling the man to him with a menacing glare. "What did you just call her?"

Mal, now nose to nose with his mercenary, began to get the idea that Jayne was not playing at his part. "Percival," he said, emphasizing the name in hopes of reminding Jayne what they were supposed to be doing. "Best you be unhanding me right now. Dong ma?"

"You plannin' to make me?" Jayne asked.

Cursing a low string of Mandarin, Mal swung, his fist connecting with Jayne's jaw with a loud snap. Jayne's grip on his shirt loosened, and Mal stumbled backward, catching himself on a table of expensive glassware.

The table crashed to the floor, tiny shards of glass flying in every direction as Jayne advanced on Mal. "Jayne," Mal hissed, low enough so that only he could hear, "What the diyu are you doing?"

Inara stepped closer to them, thinking furiously about how to salvage the plan. "Someone please help," she said, affecting a helpless look. "Please, before things get out of hand."

A security officer approached them rapidly, having been alerted to the disturbance by the crashing of the glass. "I think it's a little too late for that, Miss," he said grimly. Motioning a small group of his men forward, he grabbed Mal's arm, hauling him away from the debris. "I'm afraid you'll have to come with me, sir," he said.

Mal struggled against him, making sure to be unsuccessful. "I ain't the one that caused this whole mess," he protested, glaring at Jayne. "Just ask anyone. He just grabbed me for nothing, right here in the middle of what is supposed to be the most secure ship flying. I'll be needing a word with your supervisor."

Gathering up Inara and Jayne as well, the security team marched them toward the office suite. "You'll have time to talk with him at your leisure, sir," the man said flatly. "I'm sure he'll want to be speaking with all of you."

Inara looked at Mal questioningly, wondering how they would be able to plant Kaylee's device if they were in custody. Mal returned her look steadily as they were put into a large holding cell.

"I expect no trouble from any of you until this matter can be resolved in a reasonable manner," the security chief was saying firmly.

Mal threw himself against the bars. "I got rights, you know," he said. "Do you have any idea who you're dealing with?"

"Not at the moment," the guard said blandly. "But I plan to pull up your information right now."

Inara stepped up to the bars, her skirt covering Mal's hand as he slipped it into his pocket. "I'm certain you wouldn't want the supervisor to come and find that you've imprisoned a Guild-certified Companion in this little cell," she said, feeling the weight of Kaylee's device drop into her pocket satisfyingly.

The security chief paled. "Well," he said hesitantly. "Perhaps it would be more appropriate to let you stay in the inner office until this can all be sorted out." He reached onto his belt and unlocked the door, allowing Inara to slip out gracefully.

"Thank you," she replied in honeyed tones as he led her to the interior of the security center, Kaylee's device headed to its final destination despite the small glitch in their plan.

XXXXXXXXXX

Having placed Kaylee's devices throughout the second level of the Persephone Queen without incident, Marcus and Elizabeth were waiting for the rest of the heist to proceed. "That went smoothly," Marcus said, smiling at the doctor with more than a little enthusiasm.

Elizabeth returned his smile, warmth creeping into her cheeks as she looked at him. "Suppose we make a good team," she said softly.

Marcus nodded, looking around at the various gaming tables spread throughout the deck. "We've got a few minutes to kill, best as I can figure. Care to try your hand at the tables?"

"Why not?" Elizabeth said, taking his arm as he headed toward the blackjack table.

Marcus pulled out the tall chair for her, smiling as he realized it was going to be a little difficult for her to get into it with her small stature. Surprising him, she managed it gracefully enough, though he did catch a very pleasant glimpse of thigh as she maneuvered herself into the chair.

He leaned against the back of the chair, reaching over her to place their chips on the table. "You know how to play this game, Doctor?" he asked.

She smiled, leaning slightly back against his chest. "I might have an idea," she said.

With their nearness, he could smell the sweet scent of her skin and feel the heat of her body pressing against him lightly. Pay attention to the job, he kept reminding himself as she reached to look at the card she'd been dealt. He closed his eyes for a moment to clear his head.

"Well, well, if it isn't Dr. Striker," an obnoxious voice somewhere to the side of them said.

Marcus felt Elizabeth stiffen and looked quickly to see the source of the sound. The man advanced toward them, an ugly sneer on his face. "You know this guy?" Marcus breathed against her ear.

"The hundan I used to work for," Elizabeth spat out quietly.

"Looks like you've done all right for yourself, Doctor," the man continued, openly leering at the swell of Elizabeth's breasts in the low-cut dress.

"Dr. Caldwell," she replied coldly.

Caldwell turned to Marcus, eyeing him critically. "Who's your.." He paused for a moment. "…friend?" he continued, dripping disdain.

"Don't see as that's any of your business," Elizabeth said, feeling Marcus tense beside her.

The obnoxious doctor shrugged, swaying slightly with the effects of his last drink. "Just interested, I suppose," he said. "I mean, I never could quite get you to rub up against me like that, now could I?"

Elizabeth blushed furiously, fire flying into her as she got up from her chair. "You're drunk, Dr. Caldwell," she said, her voice strained with the effort of being as quiet as possible. "And furthermore, you're an ass. Now if you'll excuse me.."

She moved to pass him and he grabbed her arm, twisting it painfully. "You little whore," he hissed, just as Marcus' fist connected solidly with his jaw.

He staggered backward, stunned by the blow. Elizabeth let out a strangled cry as Marcus advanced, pulling off his jacket. "Don't," she said, though Marcus did not hear her through the roaring of his pulse.

The inebriated doctor was rapidly sobering. Pulling his clothing back into place, he backed away from Marcus. "Are you going to brawl like a commoner or fight like a man?" he spat out, wiping the trickle of blood from his lip.

Marcus, having no idea what the diyu the idiot was blathering about, closed the distance between them. "You want a fight, little man?" he said in a deadly tone.

"No," Elizabeth said, stepping between them with eyes only for Marcus. "You don't understand. He's….he's challenging you to a duel."

Marcus blinked, wrapping his head around that concept. "Got no problem with that," he said, glaring at his opponent.

A security detail arrived as the two men stared at each other. "I have a problem with it," the lead officer said, motioning his men to take the two men into custody. "Dueling is not permitted on the Persephone Queen. I suggest you both come quietly with us. If you wish to fight, you can do it dirtside."

Elizabeth watched in dismay as Marcus was led away and taken to the holding cell.

XXXXXXXXXX

To be continued


	11. Full House

Four of a Kind

**Four of a Kind**

**Part XI—Full House**

Authors: Midnight Obsidian and justslummin

Disclaimer: Don't own 'em. Just playin' in Joss' sandbox.

Rating: PG

Summary: With Mal, Jayne, and Marcus incarcerated, the plan goes a little pear-shaped.

XXXXXXXXXX

As the door to the holding cell swung open on its hinges, Mal looked up. His mouth fell slightly open as Marcus was thrust into the cell and the door was shut with a resounding clang.

"What happened?" he asked.

Marcus rolled his eyes. "There mighta' been a little fight," he said evasively. A thought occurred to him. "And why exactly are you two in here.?"

Mal shifted uncomfortably on the bench. "Mighta' been a little fight on our end too."

Marcus laughed shortly, shaking his head in wry amusement. "Guess you can take the man outta the fight, but not the fight outta the man."

Jayne snorted. "You just make that up, or'd you read it in one of them glossies?"

Mal glared at the mercenary. "Ain't you picked a fight with enough Captains for one day?" he asked.

Marcus looked at them in surprise. "You mean to say, you were fighting …with each other?"

Mal sighed. "One of those things that's a mite hard to explain. How's about we drop it for now and work on how to get outta here. Kaylee's little doohickeys might disable the main systems, but they ain't like to pop this door open."

Sobered by that thought, Marcus looked at their surroundings. "Could be a problem."

"You think?" Jayne said sarcastically.

XXXXXXXXXX

Zoe checked the chronometer. "There some reason you're not done yet?" she asked the back of Murdocke's head.

"Yeah, there is," Murdocke replied testily. "First off, I didn't wanna get fried by working on this safe before the others were able to disrupt the fields. Second, it ain't like you can just blow this kinda' safe open. It's rigged so that if you try to blow it, you take out a section of the hull with it. Pretty much ensures you don't live to collect the goods. Dong ma?"

"Still," Pierre said softly from the door, where he was watching the corridor for traffic of any kind. "It does seem to be taking you longer than it should."

Murdocke cursed, wiggling around in the small space. "If any of you think you can do it faster, why don't you……" He fell suddenly silent.

"Murdocke?" Jim asked, a vague feeling of unease skittering along his spine. "You hit a live wire or something?"

Zoe leaned down to look into the tiny space where Murdocke had been working. Murdocke glanced back at her over his shoulder. "Might have us a little problem," he said, much more quietly than his normal voice ever was.

""Magine that," Zoe deadpanned. "What kinda' problem?"

Murdocke sighed. "I'm stuck," he admitted.

"You mean you don't know what to do next?" Pierre asked.

"No, you idiot," Murdocke replied. "I mean I'm stuck. My gorram hand is caught in the locking mechanism."

Motioning Jim to take his position at the door, Pierre walked over to the vault and peered over Murdocke's shoulder. "Well, pull it out," he said.

"If I could pull it out, don't you think I would have?" Murdocke asked. "Ain't like I am wildly interested in gettin' corpsified whilst trying to break into their safe, now is it?"

"How much time do we have?" Zoe asked, bringing the conversation back to the important thing.

"Less than an hour," Jim replied, glancing at his watch. "The backup feeds will be booted up by that point, unless Kaylee's little gadgets have a longer shelf-life than she said."

Zoe sighed, thinking that some days it didn't pay to get up in the morning.

XXXXXXXXXX

Simon glanced surreptitiously at his watch. "They should have been back by now," he said worriedly.

Kaylee smiled encouragingly. "Maybe they're on their way now. It's a big ship, after all."

"Somehow I don't think that's the problem," Bear said, his voice barely above a whisper.

Simon followed Bear's line of sight and saw Elizabeth approaching them rapidly. "Marcus has been arrested," she said, her wide blue eyes worried.

"For what?" Bear asked incredulously.

Elizabeth sighed. "That's not important right now, is it?"

"Depends on whether he was arrested for trying to finish the job or for something else," Bear pointed out reasonably.

"Something else," Elizabeth answered. "Now can we go get him out?"

"We still have to wait for Mal," Simon began uneasily.

Kaylee looked over at her husband and saw Inara coming into the huge gaming room. "Look," she said, directing everyone's attention to the former Companion.

Inara moved gracefully toward them, nothing in her demeanor to indicate alarm. But knowing her as well as they did, Simon and Kaylee knew immediately that something had gone seriously awry.

"Mal and Jayne are being detained in the holding cell on the third level," she said without preamble when she got to the small group.

"What is it, an epidemic?" Bear asked.

"What happened?" Simon and Kaylee said simultaneously.

"Long story," Inara said. "But at least I was able to activate the devices."

Elizabeth nodded. "We got them in position as well."

"Well, at least there's that," Simon said. Pulling the small comm unit from his pocket, he called Zoe. "Think you need to come up here. Mal and Marcus have gotten themselves incarcerated," he said, whispering into the device.

Zoe's voice came back, tinny and mechanical-sounding. "Can't do that right at the moment. We got a little issue down here too."

Simon was just about to ask what kind of issue they had when the Persephone Queen shuddered as if it had hit a force field of some kind. "Did that have anything to do with what's happening down there?" he asked Zoe urgently as he steadied himself against the shudder.

"Not so far as I know," Zoe said. "Stay put and we'll be there as soon as we can."

XXXXXXXXXX

Six Finger Farraday swaggered onto the plating of the docking platform of the Persephone Queen, looking for all the 'verse as if he thought he owned it outright. Behind him were ten men, each bristling with weaponry and projecting a genuine love of violence.

The captain of the ship stood between them and the first guest deck, the greeters scattering behind him like feathers on a breeze. "What is your business here?" he demanded, making as if to block their entrance.

Farraday smiled, his gold front teeth shining in the light. "Step outta the way, Captain, if'n you ain't got a hankering for being riddled with holes."

The Captain drew himself up to his full height. "This vessel is under the protection of the Allied system of planets," he said. "And piracy will not be tolerated."

Farraday calmly spat on the deck plating. "Zeke," he said.

The sound of the shot reverberated through the room as the Captain fell to the decking, clutching at his knee. Farraday walked easily past the writhing man and into the guest area. His men fanned out behind him, picking off security personnel with wild abandon.

The passengers began to huddle together in fear as Farraday walked among them, sizing up the opulent room as he went. Planting himself firmly in the center of the room, he said, "This here is a robbery. Now, less'n anybody's got a notion to test Zeke's aim here, I suggest you all get busy with gatherin' up all your fine little treasures. Ain't no more blood gotta be spilled than what the Captain's already contributed if'n you're smart about it. Dong ma?"

Bear moved to stand in front of Kaylee, Inara, and Elizabeth, sizing up the situation with an observant eye. "Can't ruttin' believe this," he muttered as one of Farraday's men opened a large canvas bag into which the passengers were instructed to drop their goods. "We go through all that trouble to plan a thing, and they just waltz in here with a smash and grab."

"Wouldn'ta' been able to if we hadn't disabled the security systems already," Kaylee whispered mournfully.

Simon shook his head, struck by the utter irony of the situation. "What'll we do?" he whispered.

Farraday, catching his question, walked up to him and put the barrel of his gun directly behind Simon's ear. "You do what we tell you to, boy," he said. "Empty your pretty little pockets into that there bag." Simon complied. "That everything?" Farraday asked, as Bear calculated the odds of taking him out, his bare hands against the other man's iron.

Simon nodded. Farraday looked at him intently. "What's that in your breast pocket?" he asked, waving the gun in the general direction of Simon's chest.

"Nothing," Simon replied as calmly as he could.

Farraday snorted, grabbing at Simon's pocket with surprising ease for a man lacking several fingers. Pulling the comm unit out of Simon's pocket, he grunted. "Don't look like 'nothin'," he said ominously.

Just at that moment, the comm emitted a small beep and Zoe's voice floated into the suddenly charged air. "Simon, what's happening up there?" she asked.

Farraday thumbed the transmitter. "Simon ain't able to talk right now," he said, laughing at his own joke. "Seems we got us a situation up here." He slipped the unit into his own pocket. "Where are your little friends?" he asked.

Simon looked at Bear briefly before turning back to Farraday. "What friends?" he asked.

Farraday laughed, an ugly rasping sound devoid of any real humor. "That's all right, boy," he said. "'Spect we'll find them soon enough." Turning to two of his men, he said, "Best we take this lot with us, seein' as how they apparently got a story to tell."

Herding Simon, Bear, and the women along with them, Farraday and some of his men set out to take the other areas of the ship.

XXXXXXXXXX

Pierre met Murdocke's eyes bleakly. "You recognize the voice?" he asked.

Murdocke nodded, swallowing thickly. "Six Finger Farraday," he said. "Hundan's come to steal what's rightfully ours." He paused for a moment. "Well, not rightfully, but…well, you know."

"Gotta get your hand unstuck sooner rather than later," Pierre said. "You know he'll be headed here, soon as he figures where the real valuables are."

Murdocke's face blanched a startling shade of pale. "Ain't no way he won't just try to blow a gorram hole in this safe either," he said. "Nobody that travels with him has got enough sense to realize the danger."

"So, if we don't get you loose and stop this hundan, you're sayin' we're like as not to get sucked out a hull breach when he tries to take the vault?" Zoe asked.

"Looks like," Murdocke said grimly.

Jim began to look around for something to use as leverage. "Then I would suggest we get to it," he said shortly.

XXXXXXXXXX

To be continued


	12. Fold

Four of a Kind

**Four of a Kind**

**Part XII--Fold**

Authors: Midnight Obsidian and just-slummin

Disclaimer: Don't own 'em. Just playin' in Joss' sandbox.

Rating: PG

Summary: The day just keeps getting better and better as Mal and Marcus discover what's happening with Farraday and his men.

XXXXXXXXXX

Mal looked at Marcus with a puzzled expression. "What caused that, you figure?"

Marcus pulled himself back onto the bench, having tumbled to the floor with the shudder of the ship. "Don't rightly know," he said.

Mal watched as the security teams filed out of the holding area, listening to their headsets and moving with purpose toward the upper decks. Turning back to Marcus, he said, "Well, anyway, as I was sayin' before the jolt there, I guess I shoulda' warned you about these Persephone high society folk. They seem to have a fondness for dueling and such."

Marcus nodded. "Downright creepifying, if you ask me. Can't have a good, decent fight without goin' all highbrow about it." Mal nodded in commiseration.

"So, the new doc was leaning all up against you, huh?" Jayne said, having missed the point of Marcus' story by a wide margin.

Marcus scowled. "Wasn't like that at all," he said. "Fair certain she was just playin' her part." But even as he said the words, he remembered the way her body had felt molded to his and swallowed thickly.

Changing the subject hastily before Jayne could get into trouble again, Mal said, "The others should have been finished by now. Wonder why nobody's come to spring us?"

Marcus was about to comment when the door swung open and an odd assortment of folk piled into the room. Standing quickly, the men in the holding cell saw to their dismay that Bear, Simon, Kaylee, Inara, and Elizabeth had been herded into the room at gunpoint.

Bear looked apologetically at Marcus, but said nothing as Farraday and some of his men stepped into the room behind them. Farraday sauntered up to the bars, looking at the three prisoners intently. "Well now," he said, grinning crookedly. "Ain't this a fine surprise? 'Magine meetin' up with old friends like this when I'm workin' and all." He wagged his hand in the air in front of Marcus. "'Member this?" he asked.

"Farraday," Marcus said evenly.

"May be as you don't remember 'xactly what happened last time we met," Farraday said. Turning to glance at the others, he saw Elizabeth's worried expression. Pulling her roughly to the bars, he said, "You know this man, little woman?"

Elizabeth did not answer, but her silence betrayed her. "Course you do," Farraday said, pushing her away with a little shove. "Did he ever tell you the story of how he took my finger?"

"If your finger hadn't been actively engaged in cheating at cards at the time, it probably would still be attached to your hand," Marcus said, his tone calm and even.

Farraday's eye twitched with irritation and his hand hovered at the gun on his hip. "Think you owe me for that finger, Hazzard."

"Already gave you what you deserved," Marcus replied, his face flinty in the glaring light of the cell.

Farraday sighed as if severely put upon. "What are you doing here, Hazzard?"

Marcus snorted. "Sittin' in a holding cell at the moment," he replied.

"You expect me to believe that you got a ticket to this here shindig all legal like?" Farraday asked.

Marcus shrugged. "I don't expect you to believe anything one way or another, Farraday. Makes less than no difference to me."

"How's about I put a bullet in the little lady here?" Farraday asked casually, as if he were discussing the weather as he looked at Elizabeth.

Mal saw the tightening of Marcus' jaw from where he stood. "Don't see as there's a need for all that, Seven, …I mean Six Finger."

Farraday squinted, turning his attention to Mal. "Malcolm Reynolds?" he asked, surprised he hadn't noticed before.

"In the flesh," Mal said.

Farraday looked more closely at Jayne. "Jayne Cobb, what the diyu happened to your hair?" He paused. "And your clothes?"

Refusing to be cowed, Jayne said, "I think they look cunning. You got a problem with 'em?"

Farraday laughed, all thought of shooting Elizabeth now gone. "Not as big a problem as you're apt to have if'n enough folk see you like that," he said. Turning serious again, he said, "Think it's best for you all to just stay put in this here holding cell 'til we're done robbing the place."

Motioning to his men to open the door, he waved the others into the cell. "Well now," he said, as the door closed with a resounding clang. "Ain't you all pretty, cozied up in there together?"

Marcus grimaced, as there was barely room to stand with Bear in the cell now. Farraday pressed his face close to the bars, his eyes intent on Marcus. "When I'm done here, me and you are gonna have us a little palaver," he said.

"Can hardly wait," Marcus replied thinly.

XXXXXXXXXX

Pierre and Jim leaned all their weight against the makeshift fulcrum. Murdocke, sore from pulling, put one last scrap of effort into freeing himself. "Half an inch more, and I'm out," he ground out.

Groaning, the men redoubled their efforts as Zoe tugged at Murdocke's arm. With a painful tearing of the tender flesh on his palm, Murdocke was suddenly free. Handing him a handkerchief to wrap his hand, Zoe headed for the door. "Let's go," she said tersely. "Gotta keep those hundans from blowing the hull."

The four walked silently down the corridor, straining to hear the slightest noise to lead them in the right direction. Murdocke held his gun awkwardly in his left hand, cradling his injured right hand to his chest as carefully as he could. Rounding the corner, he was greeted by six of Farraday's men. "Go se," he muttered, unable to even hold up his weapon before he'd been captured.

Zoe, Jim, and Pierre spun around, hearing his muffled curse. "No need to get all twitchy," Farraday's lead man said, holding his gun against Murdocke's temple. "We got no quarrel with you people. You go your way, and we'll go ours. Dong ma?"

Zoe leveled her gun directly at his head. "Just one problem with that," she said evenly. "You got one of ours."

The man looked at Murdocke quizzically. Turning back to Zoe, he said, "He worth dying for?"

"Nope," Zoe answered without hesitation. Murdocke frowned. "But he's worth killin' for, if that's the way you wanna play it."

Jim whirled around quickly as he heard the faintest of sounds behind them. Farraday and his other men poured into the corridor, trapping them between the two armed groups. "Best you all just go on back into the purser's office there," Farraday said amiably. "We might could use some help blowing the safe."

Murdocke scowled as they ushered them back into the room at gunpoint. "You blow this safe, Farraday, and we'll all be sucked out into the Black."

Farraday frowned. "Wouldn't nobody design a safe to do that."

"You think not?" Murdocke said, genuinely worried the idiotic hundan might try it. "Why do you think I tore the go se outta my hand to get into it, if we coulda' just blown it?"

Farraday wrinkled his brow, considering the question. "Then why ain't you walkin' around with the valuables?" he asked finally.

"Because you interrupted us, you idiot," Murdocke said.

"Murdocke," Pierre warned a little too late.

"So, the good Captain Hazzard was here to steal the goods," Farraday said, inordinately pleased with the knowledge. Waving Murdocke to come forward, he said, "You're gonna open that vault for me."

Murdocke snorted. "Not ruttin' likely," he said defiantly.

"Suit yourself," Farraday said, nodding toward one of his men. "Tom, blow the safe."

The man nodded, pulling a backpack from his shoulders and kneeling at the safe. Murdocke licked his suddenly dry lips as the man pulled a small amount of explosive out of the backpack.

"Wait," Murdocke said, glancing at Pierre almost apologetically. "I'll open it. Just get that go se away from it 'fore something happens."

Farraday grinned widely. "Thought you'd see it my way," he said, motioning Tom away dismissively. "You got ten minutes."

Murdocke dropped to his knees, thinking that the task was going to be difficult enough without the added problem of his wounded hand. Drawing a deep breath, he reached into the narrow space of the locking mechanism again, praying to every god that he could think of that he could do what needed to be done left-handed.

After a tense moment, he withdrew his hand. "Can't do it with my left hand," he said. "I'm liable to blow it by accident."

Farraday made a small hand motion, and two of his men forced Pierre down onto his knees beside Murdocke. "He's got two hands," Farraday said coldly. "Tell him what to do."

Sweat beading across his upper lip, Murdocke looked at Pierre. Pierre looked at him calmly, as if he did this sort of thing every day. Swallowing thickly, Murdocke said, "You ready?"

"As ready as I'm ever apt to be," Pierre said, reaching into the small space determinedly.

Murdocke talked Pierre through the process painstakingly, spelling out in vivid detail every step as Pierre worked silently. Zoe and Jim stood to the side, eyeing Farraday's men for any lapse in their vigilance. After several tense minutes, Pierre heard the satisfying click of the lock release, and he opened the door of the vault.

Farraday leaned down, looking at the treasures within with glee. "Load it up, boys," he said. "And tie up these fine folk. It's time for us to go."

Unsure of Jim's abilities considering his recent recovery, Zoe hesitated a moment too long to act and found herself at the unforgiving end of a gun. "No heroics, lady," the man behind her said as a second man grasped her wrists and tied them behind her back. Zoe sighed.

XXXXXXXXXX

Farraday headed back toward the holding cell, intending to end his successful day with a little bit of violence against the person of Marcus Hazzard. "Boss," Zeke called out from the docking bay.

"What?" Farraday asked waspishly.

"We got us a problem," Zeke said.

Farraday rolled his eyes, wondering how a man like Zeke could shoot so well and be so dense all at the same time. "Just load up the stuff, and get ready to take off," he said. "How simple is that?"

"It ain't," Zeke said flatly. "Can't take off. There's a gorram ship in the way."

Farraday walked over to where the man stood, craning his neck to see out the small transparency. "Gorram it," he muttered. "Can't you go around it?"

Zeke looked at his employer with a contemptuous stare. "Not when it's closing in like that," he said. "Getting closer by the minute, and no way around it, less we want to risk putting a hole in our own hull."

Farraday gritted his teeth. "Open a channel. Let's see what the diyu they want."

Zeke climbed into the small craft and hailed the vessel.

XXXXXXXXXX

River sat staring at the docking port of the Persephone Queen, concentrating entirely on any trace of movement there. Having sent the children down to the common area with instructions to Anya to make sure they were all strapped in, she could devote her full attention to the problem at hand.

She had seen Farraday's vessel slipping past the disabled barriers of the Persephone Queen and she had watched the ship intently for some sign of what was going on. Reaching for Mal's mind, she found at least a partial answer to her question.

And now, her fingers flew across the console as she held her position blocking Farraday's vessel in. Her comm system beeped, and she heard a faint crackling sound before Farraday himself spoke, his voice echoing in the near empty bridge disturbingly.

"Your vessel is blocking the docking port of the Peersephone Queen," he said as professionally as he could manage. "You are ordered to remove it at once."

"You have no authority to issue such an order," River replied calmly.

Farraday, annoyed now that his easy heist had developed a sudden complication, said, "Move it, or we'll ram it. Dong ma?"

River snorted. "Ram it, and you'll have a hull breach that will kill everyone on your vessel. Would be a pity to see all that loot floating about like so much flotsam and jetsam."

Farraday glanced at Zeke, who nodded his head in confirmation of her words. "Not an option," he said low enough that only Farraday heard.

Farraday scowled and sighed heavily. "Whaddya want?" he asked.

"Want you to turn yourself over to the security team on the Persephone Queen," River said, naming something she knew he would never do intentionally.

"Ain't enough of them alive now to lock us up," Farraday said, smiling thinly. "'Sides, there ain't enough room in the holding cell."

River, having discerned as much when she searched for Mal's mind, said nothing.

Farraday waited for her to speak for a minute and then grew too impatient to wait. "Looks like we got us what they call an impasse."

"It would seem so," River replied flatly, as the two ships faced each other over the narrow band of space.

XXXXXXXXXX

To be contineud


	13. Ace in the Hole

Four of a Kind

**Four of a Kind**

**Part XIII—Ace in the Hole**

Authors: Midnight Obsidian and justslummin

Disclaimer: Don't own 'em. Just playin' in Joss' sandbox.

Rating: PG

Summary: Conclusion. As Farraday's ship and Serenity face off, help comes from an unexpected source.

XXXXXXXXXX

Farraday cut the transmission, swearing in colorful Mandarin. "Soon as not, that security team inside is gonna pull its act together and come for us," he muttered darkly.

Zeke shrugged. "Got enough bullets to handle that, ain't we, boss?"

Farraday looked at the man in consternation. "Just 'cause we can take 'em all out don't mean that's the way I want it to go," he said. He was not worried about the prospect of killing so many innocents so much as the possibility that a stray bullet or two might find its way to his own body.

Staring out at the Firefly hanging so maddeningly just exactly in the spot he needed to occupy, he spat on the deck., wishing he had mounted a cannon on his own hull. It would be infinitely satisfying to see a hole blown through the gorram thing, he thought irritably.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Little trouble there, Zoe?" Mal asked, as she was pushed into the holding area at gunpoint.

"A bit," Zoe replied blandly. "Seems we weren't the only folks as had our eye on the prize."

"What happened to your hand?" Marcus asked Murdocke.

"Gorram thing got stuck in the locking mechanism," Murdocke said disgustedly. "We coulda' been gone before they got there but for that."

Marcus sighed. "Yeah well, it's always something, isn't it?" he said softly.

Mal nodded in sad agreement as the cell door was opened again and the last four of their crew were pushed inside. "Things have got a funny way of never goin' quite as smooth as I'd like," he said as the door shut once again with a definitive clang.

"So," Marcus said, edging backward against the wall to put at least an inch of space between himself and Murdocke. "S'pose they didn't blow the safe, seein' as we're still sucking air."

Murdocke shifted uncomfortably, cradling his injured hand to his chest. Marcus stared at him. "Tell me you didn't open it for them."

"Technically, no, I didn't," Murdocke said.

"Technically?" Marcus pressed, scowling.

"Pierre did the actual work," Murdock said.

Marcus turned to Pierre, his face a picture in shocked surprise. Pierre shrugged as much as he was able in the tight space. "They were gonna blow it if we didn't," he said calmly.

Marcus sighed, accepting his first mate's answer with as much equanimity as he could manage.

"So," Jayne said, pressed against the wall by Bear's girth. "What you're sayin' is that in addition to being locked up so's the Feds can get to us without breakin' a sweat, we lost the goods to Farraday."

"That about sums it up," Pierre replied glumly.

"Well, with that lovely thought in mind, has anybody in here got somethin' to pick this gorram lock with?" Mal asked dryly.

Inara maneuvered carefully around Bear and reached into her hair, pulling out a hairpin. "Think this might do it?" she asked.

"Might, at that," Mal said, grinning.

XXXXXXXXXX

River looked up to see an Alliance cruiser closing on her position. Her heart pounded against her ribcage and her palms were suddenly wet. Filing the automotive physiological reaction away for later contemplation, she opened a channel to Easy. "They're here," she said briefly.

Easy's voice came through the comm, excitement evident in his tone. "Moved fast enough, once I gave them the story," he said smugly.

"And you're sure it's safe?" River asked, needing to hear another confirmation as she stared at the forbidding surface of the cruiser.

"Absolutely, Mrs. Reynolds," Easy said confidently. "I've taken care of everything."

XXXXXXXXXX

Farraday looked in wide-eyed surprise out the transparency of his ship. "Now how'd they get here so gorram fast?" he muttered, looking at the cruiser with genuine dismay.

Zeke shook his head, his fingers moving over the console of the ship. "We're being hailed."

Farraday sighed, suddenly seeing his life stretched out before him in an Alliance prison on some god-forsaken Rim world. "Let me hear it."

"This is Captain Long, commander of the Alliance cruiser Columbus. By order of the Allied System of Planets, you are advised to surrender immediately."

To his surprise, Farraday saw the Firefly move out of position, yielding to the Alliance cruiser's superior size. "Ain't like to happen," he said flatly, bracing himself for whatever the man was going to say in reply.

There was a brief moment of static, and then Captain Long continued in a reasonable voice. "You have nowhere to go, and nothing to gain by foolhardiness. Stand down."

Farraday grimaced. Somehow the man's even tone was worse than if he had yelled the order. "What I got is hostages," he said finally. "Some of Persephone's finest citizens, all up here celebratin' their successes in life. And I ain't averse to lettin' it be the last celebration they see, if you don't back off. Dong ma?"

"If you harm any of the passengers aboard that vessel," Captain Long continued, allowing steel to show through his voice. "Things will not go well with you and your men. I have little tolerance for unnecessary violence."

Farraday snorted, trying to shake off the feeling of genuine dread that was pooling between his shoulder blades. Thinking that it could be that he had gotten in over his head on this one, he cursed the day he'd ever taken this job. Standing on the bridge of his ship, poised to fight the losing battle out with the Alliance Captain, he felt something else between his shoulder blades as well. Jerking violently, he saw Zeke holding the taser in his hand. "Son of a whore," he managed, before he fell to the deck with a hard thud.

"Couldn't let you get us all killed, boss," Zeke said thinly as he stepped over Farraday's slumped form to surrender to the Alliance Captain. "Live to fight another day and all that."

XXXXXXXXXX

Hearing the satisfying click of the tumblers of the lock, Mal swung the door open and everyone poured out of the small holding cell into the outer room. "'Spect we'd best go see what's going on," Mal said, looking at Marcus.

Marcus nodded and they headed out into the corridor, coming to an abrupt stop immediately. Alliance personnel were heading in their direction, armed and looking more than a little annoyed.

Cursing silently, Mal motioned for everyone to go back into the room, hoping for a miracle of some sort to occur and feeling altogether naked without his gun. In short moments, the door swung open and a troop of Alliance soldiers stepped in. "Marcus Hazzard?" the leader called out.

Sighing, Marcus stepped forward. "I'm Marcus Hazzard," he said, getting ready to be bound by law.

"These all your people?" the soldier asked.

Marcus did not answer immediately, thinking that at least some of them might go free if he played his cards right.

The soldier looked at him quizzically. "Sir, are these your people? Are you all employees of Easy Street Security Services?"

Blinking slowly, Marcus replied, "Yes, we are."

"Pleasure to meet you, sir. Mr. Mercury told us that you were here. We've got the situation contained. You're free to go."

Glancing at Mal, Marcus grinned. "Good of you boys to come and help."

"All part of the job, sir," the soldier replied crisply, as he ushered them out of the room.

XXXXXXXXXX

Everyone was gathered in Serenity's common area, watching the Cortex with genuine amusement. "Looks good up there, doesn't he?" Marcus said, grinning at Mal.

Mal watched the image of a smiling Easy Mercury being interviewed by an adoring reporter. "Right natural," he said, reaching to turn it up.

"I was of course glad to be of service to the community," Easy was saying, smiling modestly.

"And you were there at the request of the Captain of the Persephone Queen?" the reporter said.

Easy looked slightly regretful. "No, I am sad to say that I was not there at his request. I had heard of a planned robbery attempt during the gala, and I spoke with the Captain to warn him. But, unfortunately, he chose not to listen to me." Easy shook his head in mock regret. "Had he allowed my security team in willingly, he might not have been wounded by those terrible men."

"So you sent the team in despite his inattention to your information?" the reporter asked, underscoring the point.

"Well, I couldn't bear the thought of all those innocent people being at the mercy of a man like Cornelius Farraday. I felt it my absolute duty to help them," Easy said, full of righteous sincerity.

"Cornelius?" Marcus said, laughing. "His name is Cornelius?"

"No wonder he went with Seven Finger," Mal replied, grinning.

River shushed them. "Listen," she said.

Thus chastened, the two men turned their attention back to the screen, where Easy was in the process of shaking the hand of some bigwig from the corporate offices of the company that owned the Persephone Queen. Smiling toothily at the capture-maker, the man handed Easy a slip of paper. "In appreciation for your diligence in protecting our guests, we would like to present you with this small token of our esteem."

Easy looked at the paper, and could not quite contain the flash of amazement that crossed his face. "Well, I thank you, sir," he said, heartily pumping the man's hand. "I…I don't know what to say."

The reporter cut in. "On behalf of the citizenry of Persephone, I'd like to say thank you as well."

Easy, looking for all the 'verse like the cat that ate the canary, beamed.

XXXXXXXXXX

Marcus and Mal sat at the table, dividing the coin they'd received from Easy. "Didn't turn out so badly, all in all," Mal said, pleasantly surprised with the take.

Marcus nodded. "Between our cut of what that man gave Easy on the news wave, and the reward he got for turning in Cornelius." He paused for a moment, enjoying the humor of the name again. "I'd say we did all right."

Murdocke scowled as he walked into the room, followed by Jayne and Simon.

"What's the problem, Murdocke?" Marcus asked.

"Gorram hand is throbbing like anything," Murdocke said.

"Best have Dr. Striker look at it," Marcus suggested.

"Oh, I did already," Murdocke said. "Woman has a mean way with a weave when she's riled up."

Marcus looked at him questioningly. "And why is she riled up?"

"Something about a duel or some such," Murdocke replied. "And she told me that she needs to do crew physicals. Made a point to say she would be starting with you."

Marcus winced, not liking the sound of that somehow. Mal grinned. "Sounds like you might be in a little trouble on the homefront," he said merrily.

Jayne snorted, throwing a blanket over the couch. "He ain't the only one," he said, looking at Mal significantly. "River and Inara've been talkin'."

The smile left Mal's face immediately. "And?" he asked.

"And I got dibs on the couch," Jayne said irritably.

"What did I do?" Mal asked, feigning complete innocence.

"Think it might have had something to do with your altercation with Jayne on the ship," Simon said easily.

"Well, that wasn't in any way my fault," Mal protested.

Simon smiled. "Sounds like something you need to take up with my sister," he said lightly. "Sleep well, gentleman, wherever you end up. I'll be in my bunk….with my wife."

Scowling at his receding back, Mal turned to look at Marcus. Marcus shrugged. "Least your night ain't like to include needles wielded by an irritated woman."

Mal sighed. "Wouldn't be too sure of that," he said, rising from the table to head to the bridge. Shaking Marcus' hand, he said, "Good luck."

"Same to you," Marcus replied with a grin.

XXXXXXXXXX

Wrapped in a blanket on the bridge, Mal looked out at the Black. The crew of the Hit or Miss had gone back to their own vessel, Marcus looking like a man headed to the gallows with Elizabeth walking stiffly beside him. Smiling at the mental image, he shifted in the seat. Much as had gone amiss, he had enjoyed seeing the young Captain again.

"You're not supposed to be enjoying this," River said softly from the doorway.

Mal straightened in the chair. "Ain't enjoyin' being kicked outta my own bed, if that's what you mean," he said lightly. "Just thinkin' about Marcus and his new doctor."

River smiled. "I have the feeling they will be okay," she said, resting her hands lightly on her husband's shoulders.

Mal leaned his head back against her belly. "And us. We gonna be okay?" he asked, smiling that slow smile that gave her butterflies.

"Better than," she said, leaning down to brush her lips lightly across his. He reached for her, but she slipped out of his grasp. "Tomorrow," she said firmly, gliding back out the door and into the corridor with a dancer's grace.

Watching her go, Mal whispered, "I can wait."

XXXXXXXXXX

Author's Notes: Midnight Obsidian—You folks have no idea how nervous I was putting my name in the top billing for this piece of work. I still feel that justslummin did the lion's share of the work, but thank you for all of the kind words and reviews that you have sent. And fear not folks…this is not the end of the misadventures of the crew of the Hit or Miss. As long as you keep sending the positive praise, Marcus and friends will continue to fly!

just-slummin: So ends another tale of the 'verse. I wanted to take a moment to thank the marvelous Midnight Obsidian for this story, which was so very much fun to write. (Don't be fooled by his modesty. The Hit or Miss crew is all his.) You, sir, are an inspiration to me in more ways than I can name. For fans of the Hit or Miss crew, there is another adventure waiting in the wings entitled "Murphy's Law". For those who have been puzzling for awhile on Mal's dilemma from "Forward Motion", more will be revealed as to BlueSun's purpose in an upcoming arc arc, entitled "Stormfront." And as always, for those who have taken their time to read and review, I thank you kindly. 'Til next time, happy reading and writing to you all!


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